A Different World
by Stephy-Lou Clark-Weasley
Summary: The Doctor fell and was caught by Pete, trapped in Pete's World while Rose has to deal with being a Time Lady, bossy redheads, flirty immortal captains, villians, memory loss, heartbreak and many more. an AU of series 3 and 4.
1. Prolouge: Doomsday

He was holding on as tight as he could

_He was holding on as tight as he could. The lever got knocked and he had to pull it up, now all he had to hold on to was the lever. He could barely make out Rose's face but he could hear her begging him to hold on. His fingers are loosening his grip and suddenly he couldn't hold on anymore._

_He was being pulled into the void with all the Cybermen and daleks, he can hear Rose screaming and he's pretty sure he is as well. Then something catches him, he looks over to see Rose's face before it disappears._

_He felt his connection to the TARDIS cut off and he looks round to see Jackie and Mickey staring at him in disbelieve. _

"_TAKE ME BACK!" he shouts "TAKE ME BACK!"_

_Pete pulls off that giant yellow button medallion and presses it "it's not working, just like you said the bridge is closed"_

"_NO!" he shouts, he screams, he rages, he slams his fists against the wall and he feels hot angry tears build up in his eyes. The last thing that he had, his TARDIS was no longer there and he lost Rose. _

_Then he could feel it, the smallest touch against his mind. Rose, she was pressed up against a wall just like this but in another world. He presses against it and stands there…then it was gone, she was gone. _

_He could feel Jackie wrap her arms round him "come on sweetheart" and he lets the woman led him away._

Rose walked slowly, taking small steps each time to the TARDIS. The pain in her heart ached; she never thought that it would end this way that she would lose the Doctor like this. She stumbled into the TARDIS and she could hear the TARDIS wail and sob at the lose of the Doctor.

"I know, sweetheart, I know" she said pressing her hands against her temple. She was getting a headache from the screaming and wailing and sobbing that was coming from the TARDIS.

Tears came quickly and the two of them cried for the man they both loved. Rose sat there in the console room, refusing to leave, hoping that the Doctor would come. She waited five hours and half. Five days and a half. Five weeks and a half. She was getting ill, she hadn't eaten in weeks, she was getting a fever and she felt so sick.

The TARDIS needed to save Rose; she took Rose to the only person who could help her…Sarah Jane Smith.

Sarah Jane was shocked to see the TARDIS materialize in her living room, she was even more shocked to find Rose lying on the console floor sweating and gasping for breath. She rushed to her side and pulled the young girl up, half carrying her, half dragging her to the guest room.

"K-9 can you give me a full medical scan?" Sarah Jane asked.

"Affirmative Mistress" K-9 grated, a red coloured beam ran across Rose. "Medical scan is being processed. Medical scan is complete. Miss Tyler is suffering side affects of a regeneration. According to my scan Miss Tyler is a fully fledged Time Lady"

"Impossible!" Sarah Jane exclaimed "do the scans again!"

K-9 did the scan again and the results were the same. K-9 then suggested that they should give Rose some tea and food. A few days later Rose woke up and when Sarah Jane told her what happened she burst into tears.

"Flipping ironic, I finally get to be with him forever and he has to get himself trapped in a blooming parallel world" she sobbed, letting Sarah Jane hold her and comfort her.

Within a week she was ready to go. She asked Sarah Jane and K-9 to come with but they declined, after all they both have their own lives now. At first all she did was drift in the time vortex but then the TARDIS showed her how to make a sonic screwdriver just like the Doctor's and then the TARDIS gave her book after book on rifts, parallel universes and supernovas to read.

With the TARDIS's help Rose managed to find a gap to send a projection through.

_He followed her voice across the sea and across countries till they found themselves on a beach. He walked round silently, his hands in his pockets when he saw her. She was pale and see-through. _

"_You look like a ghost" he whispered. _

"_Oh sorry" she said, pulling out a sonic screwdriver out of her pocket and pointing it at something, suddenly she came alive before him. _

"_Can I…?" he asked reaching out to touch her cheek. _

"_No" she shook her head "I'm still a hologram, no touch"_

"_Where are you?" he asked "you're not in Torchwood are you?"_

"_No I'm in the TARDIS"_

"_How is she?"_

"_She misses you" Rose's hologram reaches out and makes movements as if she was stroking the console (she probably was). "We don't have long, just two minutes, I found a gap, just a small one…but I can't go through all everything will collapse, I'm burning a sun to say goodbye"_

"_Yeah…" he isn't sure what to say. _

"_How are they? Mum and Mickey?"_

"_Fine, fine. There are five of us now, me, Pete, Jackie, Mickey and the baby"_

"_Mum's…?"_

"_Yeah three months along. A hormonal Jackie and me living together, I'll be regenerated before this pregnancy is out"_

_She lets out a small sad laugh "tell them I love them yeah? Tell my little brother or sister all about me"_

"_Oh I will! Rose Tyler defender of the stars" _

_There's a faint blush on her cheeks "what about you?"_

"_You're looking at the alien expert of Torchwood. I work with the artefacts, I negotiate, and I do a little field work. Depends on my mood really"_

_She laughs again "good for you!" tears were falling on her face._

"_What about you?" he asked "how are you coping?"_

"_The TARDIS and I…we share a connection, probably because I looked into her heart. She taught me how to fly her, she taught me how to make a sonic screwdriver and so on" she thought it was best not to tell him about her being a Time Lady, it wouldn't be fair on him. "I-I love you" she said a sob catching in her throat._

"_Quite right too" he gives her a grin but it falls instantly "and if it's my last time to say it…Rose Tyler I-"_

_She instantly disappears. _

_Gone forever and he was alone. _

She lets out a sobs and buries her face in her hands and cried. She wiped the mascara and tears away and began to prepare the TARDIS to go back to the vortex when she sees her.

A bride.

"What?"

The bride turns "what?" she squeaks.

"But how…?"

"Where am I? What is this place?"


	2. Runaway Bride

Previously:

**Previously:**

_She lets out a sobs and buries her face in her hands and cried. She wiped the mascara and tears away and began to prepare the TARDIS to go back to the vortex when she sees her._

_A bride._

"_What?"_

_The bride turns "what?" she squeaks._

"_But how…?"_

"_Where am I? What is this place?"_

"But…but…but I'm in _flight! _How can you be here?" Rose ran to check the console "still in flight, this is physically impossible. How can you be here?"

The bride put her hands on her hips "where the hell am I? I demand you to tell me! I have rights!"

"Ok you answer my questions and I'll answer yours" Rose said calmly.

"What! I refuse to be kidnapped by a peroxide blonde!"

"I haven't kidnapped you!" Rose protested. "You're in the TARDIS"

"The what?"

"The TARDIS"

"The what?"

"The TARDIS!" Rose snapped losing her patience "look we can do this all day but funnily enough I have better things to do"

"That's not a real word, you're making things up" the bride said crossing her arms.

"What ever makes you sleep a night" Rose muttered, "so how did you get here?"

"YOU KIDNAPPED ME!" the bride exploded. "Who was it? Is it Nerys? Oh, my _God, _she's finally got me back. This has got _Nerys _written all over it."

"Who the hell is Nerys?"

"You're best friend!"

Rose rolled her eyes "I can assure you that I do not know Nerys. Now where are you from?"

"London, duh!"

"Well then, hold on and I'll get you there before you can say 'I do'" Rose said moving up to the console.

"No thanks! I can find my own way back" the bride stormed down the ramp, reaching out to the doors.

"NO!"

Rose ran after the bride trying to stop her before she opened the doors and fell out into space (not that it would be that much of a loss). The doors opened and the bride stepped back gasping in shock.

"What…what…what…?"

"Beautiful isn't it?" Rose asked quietly. The bride said nothing. "Let's start over, I'm Rose and you are?"

"Donna…Donna Noble"

"Human?"

"Is that an option?"

"It is with me"

"Yeah, I'm from Chiswick"

"Right then, what church?"

"St. Mary's"

DWDWDWDWDWDWDW

Instead of getting Donna to St. Mary's like she was supposed to, Rose landed in Central London; something told her she should re-take the TARDIS driving course if she keeps doing this. She lent Donna her mobile so she could call someone at the wedding while Rose went to get some money out, it had been awhile since she had been on Earth, she tended to avoid it after her Mum's 'funeral'.

She just got the money when she saw Donna getting into a taxi cab.

"Donna!" she called out.

The redhead turned and waved "good riddance Blondie!" she shouted before slamming the door shut.

"Oi! Hang on you still have my phone!" Rose shouted running after the taxi as it began to slowly drive away. And then she saw the driver in the mirror…it was one of the Santa Clause robots that attacked her last year. Crap.

She ran to the TARDIS, hoping that she won't crash into anything when she flies it on the road to save Donna.

DWDWDWDWDWDWDWDW

Rose stood holding on to the Tardis door and looking at the taxi that Donna was in, she shouted to her. "Donna, open the door!"

Donna shouted back but Rose couldn't hear what she said. She pointed the sonic screwdriver at the window and it opened automatically. When the window was open, Donna shouted. "Santa's a robot."

Rose rolled her eyes, as if she didn't know! But she decided not to comment. "Donna, open the door!"

"What for?" asked Donna.

"You've got to jump."

"I am not bloody jumping, you can go jumping. I'm supposed to be getting married!" The robot in the driver's seat of the car pressed his foot down on the accelerator- and the car pulled away from the Tardis.

Rose managed to get the Tardis back alongside the taxi. She pointed the sonic screwdriver at the robot and rendered it incapable of any sort of movement and shouted to Donna. "You're going to have to jump."

Donna looked at him and said "I'm not jumping on a motorway."

Rose groaned they didn't have time. "What ever that thing is, it needs you, and whatever it needs you for is not good. Now come on."

Donna shouted "I'm in my wedding dress."

"Yes and you look gorgeous, now come on!"

Donna took a deep breath and opened the door; Rose held her hands out as far as she could without losing balance and falling onto the motorway. "I can't do it!" Donna wailed.

"Yes you can, I'll catch you. Please Donna just trust me on this"

Donna took another deep breath and leaped out of the taxi, Rose just managed to catch her and the pair toppled backwards into the TARDIS.

DWDWDWDWDWDWDW

Rose was putting out a small fire in the TARDIS while Donna looked down at her watch and sighed deeply. "Did we miss it?" Rose called over her shoulder.

"Yeah…"

"I'm sorry, but you could always re-book it"

"Suppose"

"You still got the honeymoon to look forwards to" Rose said trying to cheer Donna up.

"But it'll be a holiday not a honeymoon" Donna pointed out, sitting down on the ledge of the roof.

Rose wrapped the Doctor's trench coat round Donna's shoulders. "I'm sorry"

"S'not your fault" Donna mumbled.

"Oh that's a change" Rose said a small smile playing on her lips; Donna smirked slightly and wrapped the coat tighter round her.

"This is huge! Whose is it? There's no way a girl like you could wear this without drowning"

"It was…it was my friend's, he left it behind"

"Ex-boyfriend? He's not worth it then if he can't see what a catch you are…though you should try to lay of the peroxide"

"Thanks" Rose said sarcastically, she then shook her head. "No, we weren't like that, just very good friends"

"Friends with benefits?"

"NO!"

"Oh come on, I bet you wanted to"

"Yes…but I don't think he did."

"So what happened to Mr Mysterious?"

"He's…lost"

Donna didn't press on, she could see the grief and pain written all over Rose's face. She turned to look on at the many buildings of London. Rose rummaged through her pocket and pulled out a gold ring, she handed it to Donna. "Put this on"

"Yeah rub it in why don't ya Blondie?" Donna snapped.

"It's a Bio-Damper. Those Santa's will be able to detect you by your biological signature this will hide it. Please put it on"

Donna huffed before snatching it out of Rose's hand and slipping the ring on. She sighed and then decided to ask "so robotic Santa's'?"

"Oh, your basic robo scavenger, the Father Christmas stuff is just a disguise. Trying to blend in, we met them last Christmas."

"Why what happened then?" Donna asked she sounded as though she really didn't know what had happened

"Great big space ship, hovering over London, you didn't notice?" Rose asked the confused red head

"I had a bit of a hang over."

"Oh what a surprise" Rose muttered, she pointed over to a handful of buildings "over there is the Powell Estate, I used to live there."

"You're human?" Donna asked looking surprised.

"Used to be" Rose said.

"What do you mean by used to be?"

"Long story Donna" Rose murmured before changing the subject. "Question is what do camouflaged robot mercenaries want with you?" she reached into the pocket of her jacket. "And how did you get inside the Tardis, I don't know. What's your job?" she asked as she started to run the sonic screwdriver over Donna.

"I'm a secretary."

"Weird, I mean you're not special, you're not powerful, you're not connected, you're not clever, you're not important."

"You're mysterious bloke, did he leave because of your continues insults?" Donna snapped glaring at Rose.

"No more like I inherited it from him" Rose mumbled. "What kind of secretary?" she asked

"I'm at H C Clements. It's where I met Lance. I was temping..." Donna lost herself in her memories "I mean it was all a bit posh really. I'd spent the last two years at a double glazing firm. Well I thought 'I'm never gonna fit in here' and then he made me a cup of coffee. I mean that just doesn't happen, nobody makes the secretaries coffee. And Lance, he's the head of H R he doesn't need to bother with me, but he was nice, he was funny and it turns out he thought everyone else was really snotty too. So that's how it started me and him, just one cup of coffee. That was it."

"When was this?"

"Six months ago."

"Bit quick to get married."

"Well he nagged and nagged and nagged, so I finally gave in." Donna said waving a dismissive hand.

Rose let out a disbelieved snort, something told her it was Donna who did the nagging, but she wisely avoided the subject. "What does H C Clements do?"

"Oh, security systems, you know, entry codes, ID cards that sort of thing. If you ask me that's a posh name for locksmith."

"Keys..."

"Anyway enough of my CV. It's time to face the consequences. Oh this is going to be so shaming." She turned to Rose and said "You can do the explaining Martian Girl." Before marching into the TARDIS.

"I just told you I'm from Earth!" Rose snapped following Donna into the TARDIS.

DWDWDWDWDWDWDWDW

The reception was chaos. When they first entered everyone crowded Donna demanding to know what was going on, Donna evaded them by putting on some dramatic sobbing. Rose managed to get her mobile back from Donna and did some research of H. C. Clements and found out that it was a cover for Torchwood, what a surprise.

While Rose watched everyone dance she had allowed herself to remember a time when it wasn't just her on the TARDIS but the Doctor and Jack, how they danced just like this to Glenn Miller. She then spotted a cameraman and watched the wedding video, she figured out the golden light that had surrounded Donna was Huon particles, something she only knew due to the continuous studying the TARDIS forced her to do.

Then the Santa's came round and the baubles on the Christmas tree started to attack everyone. Rose, Donna and Lance (someone Rose felt rather creeped out by) decided to investigate H. C. Clements (well Rose and Donna did, Lance just tagged along while complaining).

Rose, Donna and a reluctant Lance ran into the H C Clements building and up to the floor that Donna works on. They stopped at her desk and Rose said "To you lot this might just be a locksmith, but H C Clements was bought up 23 years ago by the Torchwood institute."

"Who are they?" Donna asked noticing the dark looks that Rose wore when she mentioned Torchwood.

"They were behind the battle of Canary Warf and me losing my mum and friend" Donna looked at Rose with confusion written all over her face and Rose elaborated "The Cyberman invasion" Donna still looked confused

"Skies over London full of Daleks?" asked Rose.

Donna still didn't have a clue what they were talking about and said "I was in Spain."

"They had Cybermen in Spain." Rose said flatly.

"I was scuba diving." Donna replied as if that explained everything.

Rose looked away back at the computer that she'd been trying to get into since they'd arrived in that room and said "That big picture, Donna you keep missing it."

Donna glared at Rose "keep pushing it Blondie"

"Torchwood was destroyed, but H C Clements stayed in business." Rose went to another computer and said "I think that someone else came in a took over the operation."

Donna was getting fed up with the lack of information and she said "But what do they want with me?"

Rose looked up from the computer screen and said "Somehow you've been dosed with Huon energy and that's a problem... because Huon energy hasn't existed since the Dark Times, The only place you can find a Huon particle is a remnant in the heart of the TARDIS. See that's what happened." she paused and grabbed a cup off the table next to her and tried to explain what happened to Donna "Say this is the TARDIS." she then grabbed a pencil and continued "say this is you. The particles inside you activated, the two sets of particles magnetised and wap! You were pulled inside the TARDIS." he said and dropped the pencil in the cup.

"I'm a pencil in a mug?"

"Yes, you are." she said "4H sums you up." she put the cup down and turned to Lance and said "Lance, what was H C Clements working on? Anything top secret, special operations. Do not enter?"

Lance looked at her, shrugging and said. "I don't know. I'm in charge of personnel. I wasn't project manager." he paused and then said "Why am I even explaining myself to you? What are we even talking about?" It was clear to Rose that she was getting on Lance's nerves and that Lance didn't understand what was going on, so she said very calmly (while inwardly glad that the TARDIS had forced her to study or otherwise she wouldn't have been able to work out what happened to Donna).

"You make keys that's the point" she brought up a virtual plan of the building and said "Look at this, we're on the third floor." she turned and looked at Donna and Lance and asked "There's a basement under the reception, yes?" she got up and headed to the lift and waited for it to come down "So how come when you look in the lift there's a button marked 'Lower basement'. There's a whole floor that doesn't exist on the official plan. So what's down there?"

"Are you telling me that this building's got a secret floor?" Lance asked.

Rose looked at him and said "No I'm showing you that this building's got a secret floor." Donna looked at the buttons on the lift and noticed something that the Rose obviously hadn't.

"It needs a key." Donna said slowly.

Rose ran into the lift and said as she pointed the sonic screwdriver at the button "I don't." the lift button unlocked and Rose put the sonic screwdriver back in her jacket and said "Right then, thanks you two. I can handle this, see you later."

Donna looked at Rose and said "No chance Martian, you're the girl who keeps saving my life, I am not letting you out of my sight." as she spoke she joined Rose in the lift.

"Going down." said Rose beaming at Donna; she could see why the Doctor enjoyed having a companion.

"Lance!" said Donna; she was trying to get her fiancée to get into the lift with them.

But he said "Maybe I should go to the police."

Donna wasn't having any of it "Inside!" she said Lance reluctantly got into the lift. The lift doors closed at took the four of them down to the lower basement

The three of them exited the lift when it stopped and Donna asked "Where are we?" she stepped further away from the lift "What goes on down here."

Rose said "Let's find out."

"Do you think Mr Clements knows about this place?" asked Donna suddenly

"The mysterious H C Clements?" said Rose raising an eyebrow "Oh! I think he's part of it."

Rose was looking around and she noticed something that the other two hadn't seen yet and said "Oh look transport."

They turned to see three motor scooter type of things.

DWDWDWDWDWDWDWDW

They found a lab that was manufacturing the Huon particles. Rose examined them interestedly while Donna looked round in awe. When Rose showed Donna the Huon particles Donna got scared and Rose was promising to save her when a voice caught their attention.

_Oh. She is long since lost"_ the wall in front of Donna and Rose lifted up to reveal a cavernous room on the other side, with a large hole drilled in the centre.

_"I have waited so long." _said the voice "_Hibernating at the edge of the universe"_

Unnoticed by the pair who were looking around the room for the source of the voice, Lance left the room and as he did so the voice continued to speak. _"Until the secret heart was uncovered and called out to waken me."_

Rose looked around the room and noticed that there were several of the robot Santa's round the large room (minus the Santa suits and musical instrument, instead they were wearing long black cloaks and were carrying guns). Rose walked forwards and looked at the hole and said "Someone's been digging." she paused at looked carefully at the hole and notice marks that were obviously made by a laser "Oh, very Torchwood. Drilled by laser. How far down does it go?"

_"Down, down all the way to the centre of the Earth."_

"Really? Seriously, what for?"

"Dinosaurs." suggested Donna

Rose turned to look at the redhead who was now standing beside her and said "What are you on about? Dinosaurs."

"That film, under the Earth, with dinosaurs" she looked at her face and saw that she wasn't amused and said "Trying to help."

"That's not helping…though actually in other circumstances that would be a rather good idea"

_"Such a sweet couple."_

"Where are you?"

_"High in the sky. Floating so high on Christmas night."_

"I didn't come all this way to talk on the intercom. Come on let's have a look at you."

_"Who are you with such command?"_

"I'm Rose."

_"Prepare your best flower power, Rose child. For you will be sick at heart."_

The owner of the voice appeared in the room with the three of them and they could now see a being with a spider-like lower body and a humanoid upper body, she had fangs for teeth, four extra eyes on her forehead and two devil horns coming from the side of her head incorporating her ears, she was completely red with occasional bit of black glittering on her skin. She really was an awful sight to look at.

Rose looked at the creature and after some thought and going through the books in her mind she figured out what it was "Racnoss." she said "But that's impossible, you're one of the Racnoss."

"Empress of the Racnoss." said the creature.

"If you're the empress then where are the rest of the Racnoss? Or are you the only one?"

"Such a sharp mind."

"That's it." said Rose. "The last of your kind." Rose turned to Donna who were standing next to her. "If I remember correctly The Racnoss come from the Dark Times, billions of years ago. They were carnivores. Omnivores, they devoured whole planets." The Empress must have heard her because she turned round to face her.

"Racnoss are born starving, is that our fault?" she asked.

"Oh so I was right?"

"They eat people?" Donna asked.

Rose looked up at the ceiling and turned to Donna "H C Clements. Did he... uh wear those black and white shoes?"

"He did" answered Donna sounding amused "We used to laugh. We used to call him the fat cat in spats." Rose pointed to the ceiling and tied up in a web was a body wearing black and white shoes and that was all that you could see of the man in the web. Donna looked up and looked back down as she took in what she was seeing and said "Oh my God."

"My Christmas dinner." The Empress of the Racnoss said her teeth glittering.

"You shouldn't even exist. Way back in history the fledgling empires went to war against the Racnoss. They were wiped out."

"Except for me." The Empress said. As she spoke Donna spotted Lance coming up behind the Racnoss and decided to distract it until he was near enough to strike with the axe that he was carrying

"That's what I've got inside me that Huon energy thing. Oi! Look at me lady I'm talking. Where do I fit in? How come I got all stacked up with these Huon particles? Look at me you, look me in the eye and tell me."

"The bride is so feisty."

"Yes I am." Donna agreed "I don't know what you are, you big thing. But a spider is just a spider and an axe is an axe. Now, do it!"

Lance lift the axe as though to strike the Racnoss Empress, but he stopped short of hitting her and started laughing with the Empress and Rose placed a hand on Donna's shoulder, to keep her still but also as a sympathetic gesture.

"That was a good one." Lance said "Your face"

"Lance is funny." the Empress said as though that explained everything.

"What?" Donna asked now that she had regained the ability to speak.

"I'm sorry." Rose said.

Donna looked from one to the other "For what?" she asked. She then looked at Lance and said "Lance. Don't be so stupid, get out of there."

"God, she's thick" Lance said "Months I've had to put up with her. Months! A woman who can't even point to Germany on a map."

"I don't understand." Donna said.

"How did you meet him?" Rose asked Donna looked at him confused. "He made you coffee."

"What?"

"Everyday I made you coffee." Lance said in a patronising tone as though he was talking to a child rather than a full grown woman. Rose looked at Donna sympathetically.

"You had to be dosed with liquid particles over six months" Rose explained.

"He was poisoning me?" Donna asked.

Rose looked at Lance and said "It was all there in the job title, the head of human resources."

"This time its personnel."

"But... We were getting married."

"Well... I couldn't risk you running off so I had to say yes. Then I was stuck with a woman who thinks the height of excitement is a new flavour Pringle. Oh I had to sit there and listen to all that yap, yap, yap. Ooh Brad and Angelina, Is Posh pregnant?_ X Factor_, Atkins' diet feng shui. Split ends. Text me, text me, text me. Dear God, the never ending fountain of fat, stupid trivia. I deserve a medal."

"Is that what she offered you?" asked Rose "The Empress of the Racnoss?"

"It's better than a night with her!" explained Lance.

"But I love you." said Donna in a small voice, he confidence had been knocked by Lance's betrayal.

"That's what made it easy" said Lance without a trace of guilt in his voice "It's like you said Rose, the bigger picture. What's the point in it all if the human race is just nothing? That's what the Empress can give me."

Rose was getting sick of this idiot so she decided to set him straight. "The human race isn't nothing, I've been to the future, I've seen the End of the Earth and New Earth, the Human race is the race that always survives right through the ages the human race is always there in some form or another and in history humans have done brilliant things and will continue to do so until the end of time. Tell me the human race is nothing now?"

Lance appeared to ignore everything that Rose just said. "The Empress can give me a chance to go out there to see it. To see the size of it all. I think you know something about that don't you Rose?"

"Who is this little flower child?"

"She said Martian."

"Oh, I'm sort of homeless." Rose said "But the point is what's down there? The Racnoss are extinct what's going to help you 4000 miles down. That's just the molten core of the Earth isn't it?" she asked pointing at the hole

"I think she wants us to talk." said Lance.

"I think so too." agreed the Empress of the Racnoss

"Well tough all we need is Donna."

"Kill this chattering little flower child"

"Don't you hurt her." said Donna as she stepped in front of Rose, feeling defensive about the blonde woman she had only recently disliked.

"No it's alright."

"No I won't let them." The robots all around them were aiming their weapons at Rose.

"Ah! Now except..."

"Take aim." ordered the Empress.

"Well I just wanted to point out the obvious..."

"They won't hit the bride; they're such very good shots."

"Just hold on. Hold on just a tick, just a tiny little, just a...tick. If you think about it the particles activated in Donna and drew her inside my space ship." Rose said as she took out the sonic screwdriver " So, reverse it and my space ship comes to her" she took out the vile of Huon particles and held it beside Donna and the Tardis appeared around the two of them.

As soon as they were inside the TARDIS Rose ran to the controls and Donna sat on the captain's chair. Soon the familiar sound of the TARDIS time rotor was heard in the TARDIS and the TARDIS put itself into the Time Vortex.

"This isn't just a spaceship, it's a time machine as well and now we're gonna use it. We need to find out what the Empress of the Racnoss is digging up. If something is buried at the centre of the planet then it must have been there from the beginning. . I've always wanted to see this. Donna I'm going further back than I've ever gone before. I'm sorry Donna" Rose babbled.

DWDWDWDWDWDWDW

The saw the Earth being formed and saw the Racnoss ship be the centre of it all. Both Donna and Rose looked awed, Rose couldn't help but think that the Doctor would love to see this. She played the past few moments in her head and she couldn't help but think _my god I sounded like the Doctor. _

The Empress of Racnoss pulled them back.

Donna was terrified, she had almost been sacrificed with her ex fiancée (who was now dead) and now she was witnessing Rose killing the Racnoss, she looked up and saw not the light friendliness in the blonde's eyes but a darkness, a grieving darkness, a want to die. This girl was so young but her eyes weren't and it terrified her.

"ROSE!" she screamed "ROSE STOP IT, PLEASE STOP IT!"

Rose blinked and held a hand out to Donna, helping her up and the pair of them ran out quickly, climbing out of the tunnel. They breathed deeply, enjoying the cool air on their face.

"Oh my god!" Donna squealed when she saw the Thames. "You drained it! You drained the Thames!"

The military blew up the Empress's star web like ship. Everything was over, Donna was now safe. Rose took Donna home.

"You don't have to go home" Rose said quietly "you could always come with me."

"No, no I can't" Donna said "I like you, I really do. But…down there with the Racnoss…you weren't Rose; you were something dark and suicidal."

The Doctor was labelled the Oncoming Storm because of that, was that what the Bad Wolf was to Rose? Was turning into a Time Lady also making her dark, losing her humanity?

"Oh…ok, it's all right. But you watch out, yeah? Take care of yourself"

"I will, I might travel or something" Donna said.

"Good luck with that" Rose said before quickly hugging the bride "I'll see you around, I guess"

Donna watched the TARDIS de-materialise when she realised something "ROSE! ROSE!" the TARDIS came back and Rose popped her head back out of the door.

"Jesus you and my Mum could have a shouting competition, you're that loud. What is it?"

"Find yourself someone. I think you need someone to help you"

"All right, I will" Rose promised "anything else?"

"Yeah…you're friend? What was his name?"

"Doctor"

"Doctor Who?"

"Just the Doctor"


	3. Tyler and Jones

Martha Jones was walking along a crowded London street on her way to the Royal Hope Hospital where she was training to become a doctor

Martha Jones was walking along a crowded London street on her way to the Royal Hope Hospital where she was training to become a doctor. It was like any other day for Martha, she got up, got dressed and headed to the hospital, today was different however, today was her brother's 21st birthday and she was hoping that the party wouldn't turn into a circus like the last time the family got together.

He phone began to ring and she looked at the display and saw that it was her sister, smiling to herself she answered the phone. "You're up early!" she said as a greeting "What's happening?" she asked although she was dreading the answer

"It's a nightmare." Her sister answered "Cause Dad won't listen and I'm telling you Mum's going mental. Swear to God Martha this is epic, you've got to get in there and stop him."

"How do I do that?" Martha asked sounding confused

"Tell him he can't bring her."

Martha's phone started beeping, she took it from her ear and looked at the display, she saw that it was her brother this time and put the phone back to her ear and said "Hold on that's Leo I'll call you back." She hung up on her sister and answered the phone to her brother.

"Martha." he said "If mum and dad start to kick off, tell 'em I don't even want a party, I didn't even ask for one. They can always give me the money instead."

"Why do I have to tell them?" Martha asked "Why can't you?" her phone beeped again and she said "Hold on that's mum I'll call you back." she hung up and answered her mother

"I don't mind your father making a fool of himself in private, but this is Leo's 21st everyone is going to be there and the entire family is going to look ridiculous."

"Mum, it's a party I can't stop Dad bringing his girlfriend." her mobile beeped again and Martha said "Hold on that's Dad I'll call you back." she hung up on her mother and answered her dad

"Martha, now you tell your mother. Leo is my son and I'm paying for half that party." he paused as he closed his car door and said "I'm entitled to bring who I like."

"I know, but think what is it going to look like for mum, if you're standing there with Annalise."

"What's wrong with Annalise?" Martha heard a female voice in the background saying "Is that Martha? Say hi. Hi Martha hi."

"Hi Annalise."

"Big kiss, lots of love see you at the party babes... Now take me shopping big boy."

Martha wasn't sure whether to puke or laugh, instead she called her sister back and made arrangements to meet up for lunch and plot how to save the party. As she hung up a blonde woman walked up to her and handed her a gold hoop earring.

"Put that in your red leather jacket, I do want it back" she said before running off.

Martha stared at the earring before slipping it in her pocket, she didn't know how the blonde knew about her red leather jacket and quite honestly she doesn't want to know. She sighed and headed into the hospital.

DWDWDWDWDWDWDWDW

Rose sighed as she turned the page to another text book that the TARDIS handed to her (so to speak). The TARDIS was eager to get Rose filled with all the knowledge the Doctor had, Rose couldn't help but get the feeling that the TARDIS was replacing the Doctor with Rose…not that the TARDIS didn't deny it. She was just about to continue reading when the medical students pounced on her.

Ah, now then, a very good morning to you Miss Tyler and how are you today?"

"Oh. Not so bad." she said as she closed her book and placed it on her lap. "Still a bit you know...blah."

"Rose Tyler, admitted last night with severe abdominal pains. Jones, why don't you see what you can find? Amaze me."

Martha walked around the foot of the bed and the medical students gathered there and walked up to Rose and said "It wasn't very clever running about outside, was it?"

"Sorry?"

"On Chancellor Street this morning, you walked up to me and gave me your earring, told me to put it in my red leather jacket pocket."

"Really?" Rose asked feeling confused. "What did I do that for?"

"I don't know." said Martha as she put her stethoscope to her ears and continued "You just did."

"Not me." Rose said shaking her head. "I was here in bed ask the nurses,"

"Well it looked like you, have you got a sister?"

"No, not any more, just me." Rose said sadly thinking of the baby sibling her Mum probably already had.

"As time passes I grow ever more infirm and weary Miss Jones."

"Sorry." said Martha smiling sheepishly and putting the stethoscope on Rose's chest and listened, her eyes widened as she heard Rose's two hearts, she moved the stethoscope to the right of her body and used it again, and again she heard the double heartbeat of the twenty something year old (very hard to keep track of your age when you live in a time machine) who was no longer human, the woman in question smiled and sent her a small conspiratorial wink

"I weep for future generations." said Mr Stoker "Are you having trouble locating the heart?"

"I don't know, stomach cramps?"

"That is a symptom not a diagnosis." he said as he walked towards the foot of the bed and said "And you rather failed basic techniques by not first consulting with the patients chart." He picked up the chart and it sparked and he dropped it.

"That happened to me this morning." said Martha

"I had the same thing on the door handle." continued another student

"And me in the lift." added a female student.

"Well, it's only to be expected there's a thunderstorm moving in and lightening is a form of static electricity as was first proven by... anyone?"

Mr Stoker looked around at his students and none of them answered the question, Rose did however "Benjamin Franklin." She said.

"Correct." said Mr Stoker and the students moved on.

Rose sighed deeply "it's times like this I wish I was still human, makes it so much more easier to play patient" she muttered under her breath before picking up her book.

DWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDW

Rose almost fell out of the bed when the earthquake came. She clung tightly to the bed while her book slid off her lap and onto the floor. Everyone around her was screaming and panicking, once the earthquake quietened though, everyone stared at the window in awe. Rose shivered and pulled the curtain round her bed so she could get out of the bloody nightgown she was wearing.

After jamming the red converses on her feet and zipping up the matching hoodie, Rose pulled back the curtain and watched Martha Jones calm everyone down.

"But how do we have air?" Martha asked someone.

"Good point! Let's find out, tell me…Jones wasn't it? Dr Jones, do you have a balcony here?"

"Erm, yeah it's in the staff room and it's Martha, Martha Jones. I'm not a doctor just yet"

"Well come along Martha Jones" Rose said grinning.

They now stood on the balcony where Rose figured out that whoever did this had put up a force field round, meaning the only air left was what they had. Rose knew that she had to get the hospital back as soon as she could.

"You're all right?" she asked Martha who was still staring out at Earth in shock.

"Yeah." Martha replied.

"Sure?" she asked again.

"Yeah." Martha repeated.

"Do you wanna go back in?" she offered.

"No way... cause, I mean we could die out here, any minute, but all the same... it's beautiful." Martha smiled.

"Do you think?" Rose didn't think that most people would be able to admire the beauty when they're just been moved onto the moon like this.

"How many people want to go to the moon, and here we are."

"Standing in the earthlight." Rose commented.

"What do you think happened?" Martha asked Rose.

"What do you think?" Rose asked staring at Martha with interest.

"Extra-terrestrial. It's gotta be." Martha decided. "I don't know, a few years ago, that would have sounded mad, but these days... a space ship flying into Big Ben. Christmas. And those Cybermen things, that battle in the sky... I had a cousin, Adoela. She worked at Canary Wharf. Never came home." Martha sighed.

"I'm sorry." Rose apologised.

"Yeah..." Martha said. "Don't worry Miss Tyler, I'm sure we'll get out of this soon. It'll be over before we know it"

"Rose, you can call me Rose. And don't worry I'll get us out of it. I've traced a strange signal homing on this building a while go. Been trying to work out what was happening"

"What are you? Part of the government or something?"

"Nah more of a freelancer. Now whoever did this should be sneaking around here" Rose turned away from the view. "But who? Who would have enough power to do this?"

"I'm guessing those guys" Martha said pointing behind Rose.

Rose turned abruptly and caught the sight of leather armed men marching across the moon to the hospital. "Judoon" she hissed.

DWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDW

Martha and Rose crouched behind a large pot plant on the balcony overlooking the lobby and watched the leather armed men take the black helmets off the reveal a rhino head.

"So what exactly is a Judoon?" Martha asked.

"Galactic police," Rose answered screwing her nose up in thought as she tried to remember everything. "Well, police for hire. More like interplanetary thugs."

"And they brought us to the moon?" asked Martha.

"Neutral territory," Rose answered. "According to galactic law, they've got no jurisdiction over the earth, and they isolated us. That rain? Lightning? That was them, using an H2O scoop, I think that's what it's called, but I can't remember completely I only skimmed that book."

"What's that about 'galactic law'?" asked Martha, smiling. "Where'd you get that from?" Then, "If they're police, are we under arrest? Are we trespassing on the moon or something?"

"No," said Rose. "But I like that, "Good thinking. No, it's simpler. They're making a catalogue. It means they're after something non-human, which is very bad news for me."

"What? Why?" Rose raised an eyebrow and Martha's eyes widened "oh you are kidding me!"

"Nope, I'm not human. Now Martha, I need a computer. I need to go through the files and see if I could sniff out this alien so to speak. Could you find me one?"

DWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDW

Despite of all of Mickey's wonderful training in how to hack into a computer, Rose couldn't get a single file out. Sighing in frustration, she yanked out the sonic screwdriver and began to use that. Martha slowly closed the door behind her, her breathing a bit too fast due to running.

"They're on the third floor right now" Martha informed Rose, she then spotted the sonic screwdriver "what's that?"

"A sonic screwdriver" Rose said absently.

"Well if you aren't going to answer me properly" Martha huffed.

"No seriously, it's a screwdriver that's sonic"

"Oh and what else have you got in there, a laser spanner?"

"You're kidding, right? Do you know how long it took to make this blooming thing? And the injuries I gained from it, one burn too many. There's not a chance that I'll attempt a laser spanner, might cut my hand off completely." Rose then groaned and hit the monitor "Oh, this computer! The Judoon must have locked it down. Judoon platoon upon the moon," she muttered. "'Cause I was just walking past, I swear. Stopped for chips; I wasn't looking for trouble, honestly, I wasn't; but I noticed these plasma coils around the hospital--and that lightning, that's plasma coils, been building up for two days now. So I checked in. I thought something was going on inside, it turns out the plasma coils were the Judoon up above."

"But what were they looking for?" asked Martha.

"Something that looks human, but isn't," Rose answered.

"Like you. Apparently," Martha replied.

"You still don't believe me do you?" Rose said looking at Martha from the corner of her eye "it's all right, I didn't believe it at first either" Martha looked confused and Rose sighed "don't ask, just don't. It's a very long story that we don't have time for"

"Haven't they got a photo?" Martha asked changing the subject when it came apparent that Rose wasn't going to elaborate. "I mean so they should know it's not you they're after"

"Might be a shape-changer," Rose said shrugging.

"Whatever it is," Martha asked, "can't you just leave the Judoon to find it?"

Rose shook her head. "If they declare the hospital guilty of harbouring a fugitive, they'll sentence it to execution."

"All of us?" asked Martha.

"Oh yes. If I can find this thing first--" the computer screen flickered strangely, and Rose let out a furious snarl. "Oh! Just--they're thick! Judoon are thick! They are completely thick! They wiped the records. How safe do I feel knowing that we have such geniuses looking after the universe?"

"What are we looking for?" Martha asked Rose, taking a step back from her in case Rose would accidentally hit her in frustration.

"I don't know," Rose said. "Any patient admitted in the past week with unusual symptoms." she focused back on the computer. "Maybe there's a back-up."

"Just keep working," Martha told Rose. "I'll go ask Mr. Stoker; he might know." She left quickly, letting the door slam shut behind her.

Rose went back to work, using everything she could remember from Mickey's lessons to get the back-up back. "YES!" she punched a fist in the air when she finally got the back-up up. She began to go through files and then she grinned when she found the right one "oh Mrs Finnegan who's been a bad old lady, hmm?"

DWDWDWDWDWDWDWDW

As Rose ran towards Stoker's office, she spotted Martha enter the corridor ahead of her and start in her direction. "I've restored the back-up-" Rose began, once Martha was within earshot.

"I found her," Martha said, catching her breath as she got up to Rose.

"You what?" Rose asked blinking. Then, she noticed a leather creature (what was it with all the leather today?) Pursuing Martha. "Run!" Rose said, reaching out to take Martha's hand, and leading her down the nearest staircase.

Unfortunately, the Judoon were coming up the staircase.

Rose dodged out of a doorway on the fourth floor, pulling Martha with her. she followed the signs, straight into Radiology, slamming and sonicing the door closed, just as the leather creature caught up to them.

"Get behind the screen," she told Martha. "When I say 'now', press the button," she said, moving to the X-ray equipment.

"I don't know which one!" Martha told Rose looking terrified.

"Find out!" Rose replied, setting to work on the machinery with the sonic screwdriver.

The leather creature was throwing itself against the door, and the hinges were beginning to give way. Rose jammed the sonic between the necessary components just as the door came crashing in. "Now!" she shouted, and the room was flooded with radiation.

The leather creature fell, motionless.

"What did you do?" Martha asked from behind the screen.

"Increased the radiation by five thousand per cent. Killed him dead," Rose answered "thank god it worked, I wasn't sure that I got the settings right."

"Isn't that likely to kill you?" asked Martha.

"You would think so wouldn't you? But I just had an experience like this where I came out alive, so I don't think radiation effects me like it used to" Rose said " It's safe for you to come out, I've absorbed it all. All I need to do is expel it."

She focused, bouncing and hopping, forcing the radiation from her system. "If I concentrate," she explained as Martha joined her, "I can shake the radiation out of my body and into one spot. It's in my left shoe. Here we go, here we go, easy does it . . . ." she shook her foot vigorously. "Out, out, out, out, out. Out, out, ah, ah, ah, ah. It is, it is, it is, it is, it is hot. Ah - hold on--" she slipped her shoe and sock off together, and tossed them into the bin. "Done."

"You're completely mad," Martha said, in shock.

"Right. Terrible fashion statement if I walk about with only one shoe" Rose slipped the right shoe off and chucked it in with the first. She wiggled her toes on the cool floor. "Barefoot on the moon!" she said, smiling.

Martha had moved over to the leather creature. "So what is that thing?" she asked. "And where's it from? The planet Zovirax?"

"It's just a Slab," Rose said. "They're called 'Slabs'. Basic slave drones, see?" she knocked on the Slab's chest. "Solid leather, all the way through. Someone has got one hell of a fetish."

"It came with that woman, Mrs Finnegan," Martha said. "It was working for her. Just like a servant"

Rose wasn't listening, she was too busy staring at the controls in horror "my sonic screwdriver!" she moaned "it took ages for me to make that, now I'm going to have to start all over again!"

"Rose!" Martha shouted getting Rose's attention. "I'm trying to tell you that Mrs Finnegan is the alien, she was sucking Mr Stoker's blood through a straw!"

"Well that takes vampire horrors to a new level" Rose mumbled "unless…oh yes, she's a shape-changer, an internal shape-changer! She wasn't drinking blood, she was assimilating it! If she can assimilate Mr. Stoker's blood, mimic the morphology, she can register as human. We've got to find her and show the Judoon. Come on!"

DWDWDWDWDWDWDW

The Judoon had just revealed that Rose was non-human and the pair ran to Mr Stoker's office to find him drained dry. As they exited the room, the Judoon marched down the corridor shouting out to execute Rose. They could see flashing lights in the MRI room, Rose was beginning to panic a bit, how was she going to get everyone out of here alive without dying herself? She needed to distract the Judoon, to get them to take the categorising to a new level so Mrs Finnegan couldn't hide.

Rose turned to Martha "can I spit on your face?"

"What!?"

"I need to confuse the Judoon can I spit on your face or do I have to kiss you?"

"Well I'm not having spit on my face, thank you very much" Martha said tartly, crossing her arms, reminding Rose a lot of Donna.

"Fine a kiss it is" Rose mutter, grabbing hold of Martha's head and kissing her thoroughly on the lips. "Thank you so much Martha Jones" Rose said when she pulled away. She then ran as fast as she could to the MRI room.

DWDWDWDWDWDW

Rose closed the door behind her quietly as she entered and then she looked around at what Mrs Finnegan was doing and said "have you seen" Mrs Finnegan turned around and she continued "There are these things!" she pointed behind her and said "These big space Rhino things. I mean rhinos from space and we're on the moon! Great big space rhinos with guns on the moon! I only came in for my bunions, look" she stood on her left foot and held her right in her hands as ifs he was showing Mrs Finnegan it. She quickly put it down so as to regain her balance and said "All fixed now, perfectly god treatment, the nurses were lovely, I said I'd recommend this place to anyone and then we end up on the moon! And did I mention the rhinos?"

Rose never thought that she would end up sounding like the Doctor when she was trying to be…well human, herself. It was rather ironic in a way.

Mrs Finnegan walked away from the controls for the MRI and walked towards Rose and said to the Slab that was standing behind Rose. "Hold her" The Slab did as she asked and held Rose tightly by her upper arms.

Rose watched as Mrs Finnegan did something to the MRI "That big machine thing, is it supposed to be making that noise?" asked Rose feigning ignorance…well all right not completely feigning it, she wasn't as brilliant as the Doctor was with technology.

Mrs Finnegan waved her hand and said "You wouldn't understand, you're still a young child"

"But isn't that a magnetic resonance imaging thing?" asked Rose "Like a gigantic magnet?" as she asked the last bit Mrs Finnegan turned around and she continued "I did magnets in school, probably would have gotten a GCSE in it, if I never left. Fell in love, ended up with my heart broken"

"A magnet with its setting increased to 50000 tesla"

"Oh that's bit strong isn't it?"

"It'll send out a magnetic pulse that will fry the brain stems of every living thing, within 250,000 miles" Mrs Finnegan said sounding pleased with herself. "Except for me safe in this room"

"But hold on, hold on" Rose said "I did geography was rather good at it, might have passed it if I stayed in school, doesn't that distance include the Earth?" she asked

"Just the side facing the moon, the other half will survive, call it my little gift"

"Sorry, you'll have to excuse me, I'm a little out of my depth, and I've spent the last five years working as a shop girl, always on my feet hence the bunions. Why would you do that?" she asked and this time she really wanted to know the answer

"With everyone dead the Judoon ships would be mine to make my escape"

"No that's weird" Rose said "You're talking like you're some sort of an alien"

Mrs Finnegan looked round at her and smiled and said "Quite so"

"No!" Rose said, really glad that she did that drama club years ago and had experience of lying.

"Oh yes"

"You're kidding me"

"I am not"

"I'm talking to an alien. In a hospital?" Rose asked "What does this place have an ET department"

Mrs Finnegan left what she was doing and turned to Rose and said "It's the perfect hiding place. Blood banks downstairs for a midnight feast. And all this equipment ready to arm myself with should the police come looking"

Rose looked at her and pretended to just come to the conclusion that the rhinos were looking for her and said "So those rhinos they're looking for you!"

"Yes." Mrs Finnegan said as she brought her hand up to the Rose's eye level and continued "But I'm hidden" and sure enough, Mrs Finnegan had a black cross on her hand showing that she had been catalogued.

"Oh! Right" Rose said "Maybe that's why they're increasing their scans"

"They're doing what?" Mrs Finnegan asked who was now sounding worried.

"Big chief rhino boy, he said 'No sign of non-human, must increase up to setting two"

"Then I must assimilate again"

"What does that mean?"

"I must appear to be human"

"Well you're welcome to come home, met my mother, she'd be honoured, we can have cake…well actually you might not like her cooking" Rose said with a grin on her face

Mrs Finnegan reached into her hand bag and pulled out a straw and said "Why should I have cake when I've got my little straw"

She advanced on Rose who said "That's nice. Milk shake? I like chocolate, had a friend who was obsessed with banana flavour"

_"_You're quite the funny child" said Mrs Finnegan "And yet I think, laughing on purpose at the darkness. I think it's time you found some peace" the next part was directed at the Slab holding Rose " Steady the child" The slab put Rose on her side and held her still as Mrs Finnegan advanced on Rose with the straw, she wiped her hand over the pulse point on Rose's neck as she said "What are you doing?"

"I'm afraid this is going to hurt" Mrs Finnegan said "If it's any consolation the dead tend not to remember" she placed the straw on Rose's neck and began to drink her blood. Rose welcomed the darkness; her last thoughts were on the Doctor and whether or not if he would have been proud of her.

DWDWDWDWDWDWDW

Rose woke up with a gasp, Martha slumped onto the floor muttering "help us" before she lost consciousness. Rose got up quickly and disabled the magnetic pulse Mrs Finnegan made. She then pulled Martha's arm up over her shoulder and half-carried, half-dragged the woman to a window.

"Come on Judoon, reverse it" she muttered. Soon it began to rain "YES! Look Martha, it's raining, raining on the moon"

Martha was still unconscious, didn't make a reply.

DWDWDWDWDWDWDW

If the Doctor saw Rose now, he would laugh. He would then probably make some mad scientist jokes, probably the same that Rose made about him because Rose was now sitting on the workbench that the Doctor had used so many times before her, wearing a white lab coat and a magnifying glass over one eyes as she worked on the wiring for her new sonic screwdriver.

_You should have stayed and asked her to come. _

Rose's lips formed a small smile "you decided to tell me this while I'm making a new sonic screwdriver"

_I never allowed my Doctor be alone, why should I let my Rose be alone? Ask the Jones child to come with us. Take her travelling like the Doctor took you. _

"Well I hope you don't mean, make her fall in love with me. Because I don't swing that way"

The TARDIS laughed _I meant show her the universe Rose. Donna was right, you need someone and Martha could be that someone. She's smart, brave and she cares. You need someone to care for you._

"I got you" Rose said "I got Sarah Jane and K-9 to visit"

_But we can't hold your hand, Martha Jones can. _

Rose sighed "oh all right, but after I finish this off"

DWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDW

Martha Jones was trying to keep the peace between her parents and Annalise. Her siblings joined in the arguing, making it worse. Suddenly Leo and Tish stormed off in a huff, Annalise marched off with Clive following her like a lovesick puppy with Francine shouting after them. Martha sighed; she almost craved the silence of the moon.

And then she spotted her.

Rose, was leaning against the wall wearing black trousers and a red hoodie. Martha walked up to Rose who led her down the alley towards a blue box.

"I was on the moon today" Martha stated quietly.

"Yes you were lot more quiet than that lot. Reminds me a bit of my mother and the neighbours" Rose said grinning slightly.

"You never told me who you were"

"Yes I did, I'm Rose Tyler. What else do you want, my middle name?"

"I meant species"

"Oh…like I said long story. Used to be human but I'm not…not now"

"So what you evolved or mutated"

"Something like that yeah"

"Wow"

"Now since I have a new sonic screwdriver aaaaaaaaand you saved my life. I was wondering if you fancied a trip"

"What out in space? I can't I have exams and rent and so on"

"Did I mention it travels in time as well?" Rose's heart throbbed painfully when she said that. It was just exactly how the Doctor talked her into travelling with him.

"No way!"

"It does! Hang on and I'll prove it you" Rose ran into the blue box which disappeared for about five seconds before reappearing. She came out with her hand out stretched to Martha "I would like my earring back please"

Martha's eyes widened as she pulled out the gold hoop from her pocket and passed it to Rose who slipped it back into her ear. "But how…?"

Rose shrugged "can't tell you the exact details"

"Why didn't you warn me? You know to not go to work"

"And mess up the timeline causing the reapers to come and eat us all? No thanks. So do you want to come or not"

"It's a bit cramped don't you think?" Martha asked screwing her nose up.

Rose smiled slyly and pushed the door back "see for yourself"

Martha walked in slowly and gasped "it's bigger in the inside"

"Really? I hadn't noticed" Rose said dryly "now do you want to come or not?"

"Oh yes please!" Martha exclaimed. Rose ran inside and shut the doors and began to press buttons and flick switches on the console. "So is it just us then?" Martha asked looking round.

"Yep, ever since I lost…"

"Ever since you lost?"

"It's nothing now, off we go"

The TARDIS started and threw the pair back a bit.

"Welcome abroad Miss Jones" Rose said.

"Thank you Miss Tyler"


	4. The Shakespeare Code

Previously:

**Previously:**

_The TARDIS started and threw the pair back a bit. _

"_Welcome abroad Miss Jones" Rose said. _

"_Thank you Miss Tyler"_

The TARDIS stopped suddenly throwing both Rose and Martha onto the ground, Rose let out a joyful laugh while Martha winced and rubbed the back of her head.

"Blimey do you have to pass a test to drive one of these?" she asked.

"Maybe, I don't know. I sort of self-learnt how to do this" Rose said shrugging.

"It shows" Martha muttered under her breath.

Rose ignored Martha and stood by the door, bouncing slightly on her feet "out there, is a brave new world"

"Where are we?" Martha asks looking giddy with excitement.

"See for yourself" Rose said opening the door "guests first"

Martha ran down the ramp and out of the door, followed closely by Rose who couldn't help but grin, Martha's fascination amused her. Was this why the Doctor took so many companions? If so then she couldn't blame him.

"Oh my God, we did it, we travelled in time" she smiled and continued "Where are we?" she asked "No, sorry, got to get used to this, whole new language. _When_ are we?"

Rose looked up in time to see someone about to throw a bucket of something out of their window and she said "Mind out!" and reached forwards quickly and grabbed Martha and pulled Martha back to stand beside her "Somewhere before the invention of the toilet" she said.

"I've seen worse, I've worked late night shift, A&E" Martha said shrugging before asking "But are we safe? I mean, can we move around and stuff?"

Rose looked at her confused and said "Of course we can, why do you ask?"

"It's like in films and things, you step on a butterfly, you change the future of the human race"

"Tell you what" Rose said "Don't step on any butterflies" she turned round and then turned back to her and asked "What have butterflies ever done to you?"

"But what if I killed my grandfather?" Martha asked.

Good god, was Rose like this when she first started travelling with the Doctor? "Were you planning on killing your grandfather?"

"Well…no"

"Well then" Rose said walking off.

"And this is London?" asked Martha as she looked around and saw nothing that was familiar.

"I think so?" Rose said standing there in thought for a second "Round about, um... 1599"

Martha grabbed her right arm "Oh, but hold on. Am I alright?" she paused "I'm not about to get carted off as a slave, am I?"

"Why would they do that?" Rose asked without thinking and then she realised what Martha meant. "You should be fine; I'm not even human anymore. As a wise old man said just walk around like you own the place"

Martha looked incredulous and Rose started to rant in a Doctor like fashion.

"Besides, you'd be surprised. Elizabethan England, not much different from your time" she pointed behind her and said "Look over there, they've got recycling" they walked past two men who were standing beside a barrel of water and Rose said "A water cooler moment" they walked past a street prophet who was talking about the world ending and Rose said "Global warming and Oh yes and entertainment. Popular entertainment for the masses. If I'm right we're just down the river from Southwark. Right next to..." Rose grabbed Martha's hand and the two of them ran quickly. Rose suddenly stopped causing Martha to stumble a bit "Oh yes! The Globe theatre, brand new, just opened. Strictly speaking, it's not a globe, it's a tetra-decagon, 14 sides...Containing the man himself"

"Oh you don't mean...is Shakespeare in there?"

"Oh yes. Miss Jones will you accompany me to the theatre?"

"Why yes Miss Tyler I shall be delighted too!"

The two woman linked arms and giggled insanely as they ran towards The Globe.

DWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDW

Rose and Martha clapped along with the rest of the audience as the performance of _'Love's Labour's Lost' _ended_. _Martha looked at the blonde to her right and said "That's amazing, that's just amazing. It was worth putting up with the smell"

Rose smiled at her but they continued to clap and Martha was watching the people on the stage and she asked, pointing at two of the actors on the stage. "And those are me dressed as women yeah?

"London never changes" Rose muttered causing Martha to giggle.

"Where's Shakespeare?" asked Martha "I want to see Shakespeare" she raised her hand and shouted "Author! Author" she then turned and looked at Rose to her right and asked "Do people say that, do they shout author?"

Rose looked around as the audience surrounding them began to shout "Author!" as Martha had done moments before.

Rose looked back at Martha grinning "Well they do now" she said.

They watched as Shakespeare bounded on to the stage.

"Well he's different looking from his portraits" Martha said eyeing him up.

"Mmm isn't he just?" Rose agreed. The two women shared a look and doubled over in giggles.

"Oh! Shut your big fat mouths!" shouted Shakespeare. You've got excellent taste I'll give you that" he paused and looked out at the audience and pointed at a man and said "Oh that's a wig!" the audience laughed again. Shakespeare walked across the stage and said "I know what you're saying _'Love's Labours Lost'_, that's a funny ending, isn't it?" he started to walk again and continued "It just stops. Will the boy's get the girls? Well don't get your hose in a tangle you'll find out soon"

"When" shouted every member of the audience except, Rose and Martha, who were standing in the middle looking around at the other people in the theatre with interest

"Yeah, yeah" said Shakespeare "All in good time. You don't rush a genius" the audience laughed. Suddenly Shakespeare reeled back as though he had been stung, but no one thought about it "When?" he asked "Tomorrow night!" the crowd cheered. "The premiere of my brand new play, a sequel no less. And I call it _'Love's Labour's Won'_

The crowd cheered.

"I'm not an expert" said Martha "But I've never heard of _Love's Labour's Won" _

"Neither have I" Rose said "but then again I only read Romeo and Juliet, A Midsummer Dream and Macbeth and that was all for school"

The two women walked out of the theatre slowly together.

"It must be the lost play!" Martha said looking excited "could we film it or something and flog it on the internet"

"NO!" Rose shouted panicked.

"Oh…because that would be bad" Martha said looking slightly ashamed of herself. "so why did it disappear?"

Rose shrugged "haven't got a clue. But how about we stick around and play Sherlock and Watson?"

"Who's Sherlock?"

"Oh you're definitely Watson"

DWDWDWDWDWDW

Rose led Martha away from the Globe Theatre to the local inn they entered and headed up the stairs to see Shakespeare who looked up when Rose "Mr Shakespeare I presume"

"Oh no, no, no" he said as he put his hands over his eyes "Who let you in? No autographs, no you can't have yourself sketched with me and _please _don't ask me where I get my ideas from" he paused, "Now be good lass and shove..." Shakespeare stopped as Martha stepped out from behind Rose and Shakespeare said "Hey, nonny, nonny" he smiled "Sit right down here next to me." he turned to the two men that he had been talking to before the three of them had entered and he said "You two, get sewing on them costumes. Get going"

"Come on lads, I think our William's found his new muse"

Shakespeare stood up and said to Martha "Sweet lady" She stepped in front of Rose and went and sat down in front of Shakespeare "Such unusual clothes, so fitted"

"Verily, forsooth, egad" said Martha. Rose and Shakespeare looked at her and the former said "No, don't do that" she reached into her pocket and pulled out the psychic paper and turned to Shakespeare and said "I'm Dame Rose of the Powell Estate and this is my companion Miss Martha Jones"

Shakespeare looked at the paper long and hard and he said "Interesting, that bit of paper, it's blank"

Rose groaned "please don't tell me you had psychic training as well" she said remembering the Torchwood staff that caused her to lose the Doctor.

Martha was looking at the paper and she said "No it says, Dame Rose and Martha Jones"

"I say it's blank" said Shakespeare. "psychic, an unusual word, and a word I have never heard of before and words are my trade. Who are you? And more importantly who is this delicious blackmoore lady?"

Rose and Martha stared at Shakespeare in shock and Martha said "What did you say?"

"Whoops" said Shakespeare "Isn't that a word we use nowadays? An Ethiop girl? A swave? A queen of Afric?"

"I can't believe I'm hearing this" said Martha

"Neither can I" said Rose "hey Martha when we get back home you can tell everything you got hit on by Shakespeare"

"Then I can get a freeway ticket to the local asylum" Martha muttered. Shakespeare watched them with amusement.

"Where are you two ladies from?"

"Oh a faraway place called Freedoina" Rose said dismissively.

Suddenly another voice entered the conversation which was not female, so it wasn't Rose or Martha it was male and since no one had seen Shakespeare move his lips they turned around and they saw a man standing there, he was well dressed and Shakespeare seemed to know him.

"Hold hard a moment!" he said "This is abominable behaviour. A new play with no warning. I demand to see a script Mr Shakespeare" he said as he advance further into the room "As Master of the Revels, every new script must be registered at my office and be examined by me before it can be performed"

"Tomorrow morning, first thing. I'll send it round" said Shakespeare

"I don't work to your schedule, you work to mine. The script now!" shouted the stranger holding out his hand

"I can't"

"Then tomorrow's performance is cancelled"

"It's all go round here isn't it?" said Martha. Rose nodded her agreement but watched the two men in interest.

"I'm returning to my office for a banning order" said the stranger as he left the room "If it's the last thing I do _Love's Labour's Won_ will never be played" he turned from the doorway and headed down the stairs and out of the inn

"Well the mystery solved" Martha said sadly "thought it would be something more mysterious"

"S'not always Scooby Doo with me Martha" Rose said

A loud scream could be heard from the courtyard and the two women run down to see what was happening. On the dirt covered ground laid the Master of Revels…dead.

"Out of my way" Martha said pushing through "I'm a doctor" Martha began to do CPR on the man, when water came running down from his lips. "oh my go what is that?"

"By the looks of things he drowned" Rose said "but he's definitely not in the river though is he?"

"My god I'll fetch the constable" a woman said running off.

Rose, Martha, Shakespeare and the Land Lady headed back into the inn. "shall I prepare you a room milady?" the Land Lady asked Rose.

"Yes please" Rose said before she closed the door to Shakespeare's room and turned to look at Martha and Shakespeare. "ok I was wrong, maybe it is always Scooby Doo with me"

"Poor Lynley" Shakespeare said mournfully "but I must ask what land is Freedoina if a woman can be a doctor."

"A land where a woman can be whatever she wishes" Martha retorts "why be so surprised when you have a queen?"

"Ah but that is God's doing" Shakespeare "and what about you Dame Rose? You are so young and innocent, yet you look as if you have the world placed upon your shoulders, that you have seen all the horrors of the world. What are you really Dame Rose?"

"Just a traveller who reads a lot" Rose said flatly.

"A trite reply, yeah. That's what I do" he paused and turned to Martha "And you, you look at her as though you're surprised that she even exists. She's as much of a puzzle to you as she is to me"

There was a soft knock on the door and the Land Lady poked her head in "room 12 is ready for you milady" she said before backing away.

"I think we should all get some sleep and discuss this tomorrow" Rose said getting up.

"Go, I have work to complete" Shakespeare said airily "however I shall get my answers from you Dame Rose, I shall find out about your constant and confusing performance"

"All the world's a stage" Rose mumbled.

"Hmm, I might use that" Shakespeare said.

Martha and Rose slipped their shoes off and their jackets before climbing into the small double bed. Rose couldn't help but wonder what the Doctor would be like if he met Shakespeare, probably be bouncing off the walls asking for an autograph like the little fan boy he is.

"All a bit Harry Potter, isn't it?" Martha piped up.

"Oh Harry Potter, I loved the seventh book. Cried a bit but not as much as…" Rose trailed off. Not as much as the Doctor she was going to say. The Doctor was practically in hysterics when Dobby died, Rose found it very amusing. She quickly changed the subject "I'm missing something Martha, something's happening but I can't quite put my finger on it"

Martha stared at her in silence.

"I had a friend, he would know. He was a genius, not like me, I have to go through my memory each time something scientific or something about aliens comes up."

"Who was he?" Martha asked.

"Doctor"

"Doctor Who?"

"Just the Doctor, my Doctor"

"He was…your lover?"

"No, no we weren't like that"

"But you wanted to be?"

"Oh yes"

"Tell me about him" Martha said shifting on the bed "tell me about this mysterious Doctor"

"I don't know how to start" Rose said.

"Start at the beginning" Martha said in a soothing voice.

"Well it all star-"

Rose was suddenly cut off by a harsh scream.

DWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDW

They had found the Land Lady dead in Shakespeare's room, she seemed to have died of fright, Martha had spotted what looked like a witch out of the window and Shakespeare mentioned Peter Streete the architect had seen witches and was now in Bedlam. The trio were making their way to Bedlam the following morning to question Peter Streete.

"I must say you are remarkable Miss Jones" Shakespeare said "it's not every day you see a female doctor from a land where females can be writers and actors"

"Like I said last night" Martha said "this land is ruled by a woman"

"And like I said last night, she's royal and that is God's doing" Shakespeare eyed Martha up and down "though you're a royal beauty"

"Whoa, Nelly" said Martha "I know for a fact that you've got a wife in the country"

"That is country, this is town" said Shakespeare.

Rose sighed; Shakespeare was a lot like Jack. Though somehow Rose doubted that Shakespeare would have flirted with men, plants and many more like Jack. "Come on you two we can have a good flirt later" she called over her shoulder.

"Is that a promise Dame Rose?" Shakespeare said in a cheeky Jack-like fashion.

It took a while to convince the guards and nurses to let them speak to Peter, but finally they managed to get in his cell. Peter laid there on his bed trembling and muttering quietly to himself. Rose slowly got on her knees beside him.

"Peter, can you hear me?" she asked quietly, Peter nodded. "My name is Rose, now Peter I have some questions. About the witches, do you think you could tell me about the witches?"

"He's not going to say anything" Shakespeare muttered.

Rose glared at him before turning back to Peter "Peter I want you to go back a year, where everything was safe and normal. Tell it to me like a story Peter, as if it had happened to someone else"

"Witches spoke to Peter. In the night they whispered, whispered...Got Peter to build the Globe to their design, their design. The 14 walls always 14. When the work was done, they snapped poor Peter's wits"

"Well where did Peter see the witches? Where in the city?" Rose shifted closer to the man. "Tell me Peter. You've got to tell me Peter, where are they?"

"All Hallow's Street"

"Too many words" The trio jumped when an old hag had suddenly appeared by Peter's side. "Just one touch to the heart" they watched in horror as the old hag reached out and touched Peter on his chest, killing him. "Who shall be next?"

Martha panicked and began to bang on the bars screaming to be let out, Shakespeare couldn't help but smirk.

"You do realise the whole building is shouting that?" he said. Martha turned to glare at him but ceased banging on the bars and kept her mouth firmly shut.

"Who shall die next?" the hag said stepping closer to the trio.

"Rose can't you do something?" Martha asked.

"No mere human can stop us" the hag said.

"Good thing I'm here then" Rose said "let's see humanoid female. Fourteen…fourteen…fourteen…THAT'S IT! Fourteen! The fourteen stars of the Rexel Planetary Configuration! Creature I name you Carrionite"

The Carrionite screamed and vanished, no doubt back to the place that they were hiding in. "What did you do?" Martha asked

"I named her" Rose said calmly. "The power of a name. That's old magic"

"But there's no such thing as magic" Martha said.

"It's just a different sort of science" Rose said starting another Doctor like lecture. "You lot, you chose mathematics. Given the right string of numbers, the right equation, you can split the atom. The Carrionites use words instead"

"Use them for what?"

"The end of the world" Rose said a small smile playing on her lips "isn't going to the theatre just so much fun?"

DWDWDWDWDWDWDWDW

They reached the inn as quickly as they could and up to Shakespeare's room again to come up with a battle plan.

"The Carrionites disappeared, way back at the dawn of the universe. Nobody was sure if they were real or legend" Rose said "I never actually read proper evidence that they existed, I found them in a legends book"

"I'll go for real." Shakespeare said.

"But what do they want?" Martha asked.

"A new empire on Earth" Rose said. "That's what they always want these bloody villains. It's never Mars or Pluto always Earth, Earth, Earth! Want they want is a world of bones and blood and witchcraft and what do they do? They take over Earth fan-bloody-tastic!"

"But how?" asked Martha

Rose looked at Shakespeare "I'm looking at the man with the words"

"Me, but I've done nothing"

"Hold on, what were you doing last night when that Carrionite was in the room?"

"Finishing the play"

"What happens on the last page?"

"The boys get the girls, they have a bit of a dance" Shakespeare answered "It's all as funny and thought-provoking as usual" he looked down at his feet and said "Except for those last few lines. Funny thing is I don't actually remember writing them"

"That's it!" Rose said "They used you. They gave you the final words. Like a spell, like a code, _Love's Labour's Won_ is a weapon! The right combination of words spoken in the right place with the shape of the Globe as an energy converter. The play is the thing! I am getting rather good at doing this on my own"

Rose, Martha and Shakespeare were gathered around a table on which there was a map, they were searching it for All Hallow's Street "All Hallow's Street. Martha and I will track them down" Rose looked up at Shakespeare "Will, you get to the Globe. Whatever you do, stop that play!"

"I'll do it" said Shakespeare holding out his hand to Rose and he continued "All these years, I've been the cleverest man around" he took Rose's hand and placed a kiss on it. "Next to you I know nothing"

Rose blushed slightly "it was all guesswork really"

DWDWDWDWDWDWDWDW

"The thing is though" Martha said as she and Rose were on All Hallow's Street. "The world doesn't end in 1599; I'm living proof of that"

"Oh this is hard…how did the Doctor explain it to me" Rose muttered. "Right, erm…time isn't liner. You could be born in year 2000 but die in 1599, time lines can be erased…oh I'm no use at this. Just think of the film Back to the Future, yeah that would work"

"What the kid that begins to fade because he messed up on how he parents met…oh my god I'm going to fade!"

"Which is why we need to stop it" Rose said "now which house is it?" one of the house's front door opened by itself "oh we've been invited. I wonder if we'll have newt eyes with out tea!"

Rose and Martha entered the house to find a young red head standing in the middle of the room. "I take it we were expected?" Rose said "have you got any newt eyes to go with the tea?"

"Oh I think death has been waiting for you for a long time"

"Oh so no newt eyes and tea" Rose said pretending to look disappointed.

Martha tapped Rose's arm "Right then, it's my turn" she stepped forwards and pointed at the Carrionite and said "I name you Carrionite"

The Carrionite smiled at Martha and Martha turned to Rose "What did I do wrong? Was it the finger?"

"Power of a name works only once. Observe." she pointed "I gaze upon this bag of bones and now I name thee Martha Jones"

Martha collapsed to the floor but Rose caught her in time before lowering her down gently "What have you done?"

"Only sleeping, alas. It's curious her name has less impact. She is somehow out of her time" the Carrionite looked at Rose with interest "you are the most unusual, so many names. But the one who live by…The heart grows cold, the north wind blows, and carries down the distant...Rose!"

Rose felt one of her hearts freeze over and she staggered back "oh bugger" she muttered before everything went dark.

DWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDW

Rose woke to find Martha's lips on her, attempting CPR. She couldn't help but grin "we seem to keep ending up like this, something you're trying to tell me Dr Jones" good god she sounded like Jack, how the hell did that happen?

Martha jerked away "oh thank god! I got worried, you weren't breathing and your lips were going blue"

"how long have I been out?" Rose asked.

Martha shrugged "not long, I only been awake for two seconds"

Rose got up only to fall over again, Martha caught her quickly "one of my hearts, isn't working. I only have one heart working. How the hell did I cope before?"

Martha gave a few hits on Rose before Rose's second heart started and the pair immediately ran off to stop the Carrionites.

DWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDW

Stage door!" Rose said yanking Martha with her as they ran to the Globe and entered through the stage door

They found Shakespeare back stage holding his head "Stop the play" Rose shouted "I think that was it. Yeah, stop the play!"

"I hit my head!"

"Yeah, don't rub it you'll go bald" Suddenly there was a scream and Rose ran out on to the stage I think that's my cue"

Martha and Shakespeare followed her.

Once they were on the stage, Rose, Martha and Shakespeare looked around, there were black shapes flying around and there were people crying and trying to get out of the theatre "Come on, Will, history needs you" Rose said

"Me!" Shakespeare shouted looking horrified "What can I do?"

"Reverse it!" Rose snapped.

"How am I supposed to do that?"

"The shape of the Globe gives words power, but you're the wordsmith, the one true genius, the only man clever enough to do it"

"But what words, I have none ready"

"You're William Shakespeare!"

"But these Carrionite phrases need such precision"

"Trust yourself. When you're locked away in your room, the words just come don't them? Like magic. Words of the right sound, the right shape, the right rhythm. Words that last forever! That's what you do Will, you choose perfect words. Do it! Improvise"

"Close up this din of hateful, dire decay. Decomposition of your witches plot. You thieve my brains, consider me your toy. My darling Rose tells me I am not! Foul Carrionite spectres cease your show, between the points..." he stopped here and looked at Rose for the information that he needed

"7, 6, 1, 3, 9, 0!"

"7, 6, 1,3,9,0! Banished like a tinker's cuss, I say to thee..." he trailed of and looked at Rose, who then looked at Martha as she had no clue what to say.

"Expelliarmus" Martha suggested

"Expelliarmus"

"Expelliarmus!" Shakespeare shouted.

"Good old JK" Rose cheered.

The Carrionites were sucked back to wherever they had come from, the stage doors opened and copies of the play flew out and were taken away with the Carrionites.

"Love's Labour's Won, there it goes!" Rose said cheering.

DWDWDWDWDWDWDW

It was the next morning and the sun shone as if the Carrionites never attempted to take over the world the night before. Martha sat there chatting to Shakespeare while Rose was mucking about in the back stage.

Rose strolled over with a ruff on her neck holding up a gruesome skull "it looks like a Sycorax, amazing I might have to take this to double check"

"Sycorax, I like that word. I may use it" Shakespeare said.

"I should get ten percent" Rose said "how's your head?"

"Still aches" Shakespeare moaned.

Rose took the ruff of her neck and placed round Shakespeare. "Here you go a neck brace. Though you should keep it, it suits you"

"What about the play?" Martha asked suddenly

"Gone. I looked all over. Every single copy of _Love's Labour's Won_ went up in the sky"

"My lost masterpiece" Shakespeare mumbled.

"You could write it up again" Martha said.

"Yeah, maybe not Will" Rose said warningly "There's still power in those words. Maybe it should stay forgotten"

"Oh but I've got new ideas" Shakespeare said looking a bit gleeful "Perhaps it's time I wrote about fathers and sons, in memory of my boy, my precious Hamnet"

"Ham_net_" said Martha

"What's wrong with that?"

"Anyway." Rose said. "Time we were off. I've got a nice attic in the TARDIS." she said as she picked up the orb "Where this lot can scream for all eternity. And I've got to take Martha back to Freedoina"

"You mean, travel on through time and space?" asked Shakespeare

"You what?"

"My darling Dame Rose you are still a mystery to me. But it is not hard to work out that you and Martha are from the future." Shakespeare turned to Martha "Martha let me say good bye to you with a new verse" he took her hand and kissed it "A sonnet for my Dark Lady"

Martha and Rose exchanged surprised and gleeful looks. When suddenly two of the actors came running in.

"Will" shouted two of the actors at the same time "Will, you'll never believe it. She's here! She turned up" one of them said

"We're the talk of the town" the other said.

"She heard about last night, she wants us to perform it again"

"Who?" Martha asked

"Her majesty. She's here!"

Trumpets sounded and a woman walked in "Queen Elizabeth, the first!" Rose cried out.

"Rose Tyler!" the queen snarled "my sworn enemy"

"What?"

"Off with her head!"

"Oh not another pissed off queen! Got to run Will, see you another time. Come on Martha RUN!"

The two ran down the street as fast as they could, both could hear the men's footsteps running after them.

"What the hell did you do to her?" Martha asked.

"How the hell would I know? I haven't met her yet! The annoyance of time travel, she better have a better reason than Queen Victoria!"


	5. Gridlock

After barely escaping Queen Elizabeth's guards Rose made her and Martha some tea and ended up re-telling exactly how she managed to piss Queen Victoria off

After barely escaping Queen Elizabeth's guards Rose made her and Martha some tea and ended up re-telling exactly how she managed to piss Queen Victoria off.

"So you met a real life werewolf!" Martha exclaimed "and saved Queen Victoria from it. She sounds a bit ungrateful to me if she banished you"

"Well I think she was scared. She was completely defenceless and she hated that. She's a very strong woman. But she wasn't ungrateful she rewarded us. Dame Rose of the Powell Estate and Sir Doctor of TARDIS"

_Technically you're now Dame Rose of the Powell Estate and TARDIS; after all you have inherited me _the TARDIS hummed.

Rose shrugged off what the TARDIS said; she didn't really want to think of it like that. She preferred to think that she's just minding the TARDIS for the Doctor, till he comes back.

_Oh Rose, I don't think he will. _

"Rose? Rose, are you all right?" Martha asked waving a hand in front of Rose's face.

Rose blinked "huh? Oh sorry I drifted off" she drained the last of her tea and put the mug down forcefully on the table "I was thinking would you like to see the future?"

"Oh yes please!" Martha said.

Rose jumped up and pulled Martha out of the kitchen back to the console room "right then, how about New Earth? Loved New Earth, the apple grass there was lovely. Though I didn't like being possessed, that was horrible. But seeing the Doctor prance around was hilarious, how about we avoid the hospital. New, New York off we go!"

Rose began to flick the switches on the console, starting the engines and heading of to show Martha the delights of New, New York.

DWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDW

They ducked under some shelter, trying to avoid the rain. Martha shivered and rubbed her hands together while Rose couldn't help but be thankful that the coldness no longer affects her.

"So where abouts are we?" Martha asked "because I definitely don't see any apple grass"

"Hold on, hold on, lets have a look" Rose said as she held the sonic screwdriver to the screen that was built into the wall and when the picture didn't clear she thumped the top of it a fuzzy picture of a blonde woman appeared on the screen.

_"... The driving should be clear and easy with 15 extra lanes opened for the New, New Jersey Expressway"_

A picture of flying cars and the city of New, New York appeared on the screen "Oh! That's more like it" Rose said pointing to the screen "see that's where the apple grass is, looks like I need to practise flying the TARDIS more if I missed it by that much"

"So what, you landed in the slums?"

"I know how disappointing" Rose said frowning to herself. She looked up and smiled "the rains stopped. Shall we go exploring?"

They had only just stepped out from the shelter when shutters flew open and people began to shout. Happy, you want happy. Happy!"

"Customers" a woman said from a stall behind them "Customers. We've got customers"

"We're in business" another woman said

The vender's kept shouting at them to buy stuff from them "No thanks" Rose mumbled edging away from the stalls.

"Are they selling drugs?" Martha asked.

"I think they're selling moods" Rose said "sounds like they're selling moods"

"Sounds like they're selling drugs" Martha muttered.

The three of them watched as the vender's called to a blonde woman, she walked up to a vender and asked to buy forget. As she bought it, she told the vender what she wanted to forget.

"Sorry, but hold on a minute what happened to your parents?" Rose asked the girl.

"They drove off"

"They might drive back" Rose said comfortingly.

"Everyone goes to the motorway in the end" she said "I've lost them"

"But they can't have gone far" said Rose "You could find them"

The girl put the forget on her neck "No, no, no, don't" Rose protested.

"I'm sorry, what were you saying?"

"Your parents" Rose said "Your mother and father they're on the motorway"

"Are they?" she asked "That's nice. I'm sorry I won't keep you" she walked away.

Rose turned around and watched her go, part of her wishing that she could do the same. She wouldn't mind forgetting the pain of losing the Doctor, her Mum and Mickey. But she wouldn't because it could all go wrong and she'll lose the memories of all the good times.

"So this is the human race 5 billion years into the future? Off their heads on chemicals" Martha said looking unimpressed.

Suddenly Martha felt arms grab hold of her and a gun pressing to her head. She screamed loudly and Rose turned round to see a man and a woman.

"I'm sorry" the man said "We just need three"

"Let her go!" Rose shouted.

"It's not our fault" the woman said.

"Whatever you want, I can help you" Rose said trying to calm down the situation and find out what was going on "I can help but first you've got to let her go"

They backed out of the door that they came in and the woman said "Sorry" The door slammed shut. Rose pulled out the sonic screwdriver and unlocked the door and ran though it.

DWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDW

The air was polluted, very polluted. Nitrogen and carbon were suffocating her. Rose coughed a bit and held her breath, grateful for the respiratory bypass. She couldn't see at all with the smoke blowing into her face but what she could see was cars, billions upon billions of cars.

"AHOY THERE!" a shout came from the smoke "WHAT ARE YOU DOIN' OVER THERE MISSY? GET IN HERE WHERE IT'S CLEAN AND BREATHABLE"

Rose staggered towards the car that hovered by her and she felt two strong arms wrap themselves round her waist and haul her up onto the roof. She felt a handkerchief being held to her mouth and she breathed for a second as her saviour pulled her into the car. She felt the gasmask be placed on her mouth and she breathed deeply.

She opened her eyes to see a brunette woman and a cat man stare at her.

"You're all right lass?" the cat man asked.

She pulled the mask off of her face "I'm fine, thanks" she said.

"What were you doing standing there breathing it in?" the cat man asked "it's not safe stuff you know. There was this one story, it says, back in the old days, on junction 47, this woman stood in the exhaust fumes for a solid 20 minutes. By the time they found her, her head had swollen to 50 feet"

"Oh, you're making it up" the woman cried out.

"A 50 foot head, just think of it" he sat down in the driver's chair "Imagine picking that nose!"

"Oh, stop it!" The woman snapped "That's disgusting!"

"What, did you never pick your nose?" he asked flippantly

The woman looked out of the window and jumped "Bran, we're moving"

The cat man started the car as he said "Right, I'm there, I'm on it" the car moved for about ten seconds before stopping. He then turned back to Rose "who are you? You're rather well dressed for a hitchhiker"

"Oh I'm Rose, Rose Tyler and I'm not hitchhiking, I'm looking for someone" Rose said offering a hand to the cat man who promptly took it and kissed it, his fur tickling her and making her giggle.

"A beautiful name for a beautiful girl. My name is Thomas Kincaid Branigan and this is the bane of my life, the lovely Valerie"

"Nice to meet you" Valerie said leaning forward to shake Rose's hand "behind you are the family"

Rose turned round to see a curtain which she pulled to the side to find a small basket filled with kittens "aw they're adorable" she cooed. "How old are they?"

"Just two months" Valerie said

"Poor little souls" Branigan said melodramatically "They've never known the ground beneath their paws. Children of the motorway"

Rose looked up from the basket confused "What they were born in here?" she asked

"We couldn't stop" said Valerie "We heard there were jobs going, out in the laundries on Fire Island. Thought we'd take a chance"

"You've been on the road for two months?" Rose asked

"Do I look like a teenager?" Branigan asked "We've been driving for twelve years now"

"Sorry?" Rose said blinking.

"Yes started out as newlyweds, feels like yesterday"

"Feels like twelve years to me" Valerie muttered darkly.

"Ah, sweetheart" Branigan said smiling "but you still love me"

"Twelve years? How far did you come? Where did you start?" Rose asked.

"Battery park, it's five miles back" Branigan said calmly.

"You travelled five miles in 12 years?" Rose asked looking disbelieved.

"I think she's a bit slow" Branigan said to Valerie.

"Where are you two from?" Valerie asked Rose, ignoring her husband.

"Never mind that" Rose said pushing some loose hair out of her face. "I've got to get out. My friend is in one of those cars, she was taken hostage."

"You're too late for that. We've passed the lay-by" Branigan said "You're a passenger now"

"When's the next lay-by?" Rose asked biting her lip.

"Oh... six months"

"Oh you are kidding me"

DWDWDWDWDWDWDW

Rose had tried calling the police ten times but after being told that she was put on hold the tenth time she decided against the eleventh and let out a frustrated growl as she pushed her hair out of her face. "I give up! Is there anything else I could do? Get in touch with the hospital…wait no I helped get the nuns arrested"

"Well aren't you the troublemaker" Branigan said cheekily.

"I got to find my friend" Rose said ignoring Branigan.

You can't make outside calls" Valerie said "The motorway is completely enclosed"

"What about the other cars?" Rose asked.

"Well we've got contact with them" Branigan said "Well, some of them anyway. They've got to be on your friends list. Now let's see, who's nearby?" he pressed a number and said "Ah! The Cassini sisters" he picked up his two way radio and said "Be still your hearts, my handsome girls. It's Branigan here"

_"Get of the line, Branigan" an old sounding female voice crackled on the line "You're a pest and a menace"_

"Come on now, sisters. Is that anyway to talk to an old friend?"

_"You know full well, we're not sisters, we're married"_

"Ooh! Stop that modern talk." Branigan said "I'm an old fashioned cat. Now, I've got a hitchhiker here, calls herself Rose" he handed the two way to Rose.

"Hello. Sorry, I'm looking for someone called Martha Jones. She's been carjacked." Rose said "She's in one of these cars, but I just don't know which one"

_"Wait a minute" said the other woman "Could I ask what entrance they used?"_

"Where are we?" Rose asked Branigan.

"Pharmacy Town"

"Pharmacy Town" she said into the radio "About 20 minutes ago"

_"Let's have a look"_

_"Just my luck to marry a car-spotter!" said the first woman_

_"In the last half hour, 53 new cars joined from the Pharmacy Town junction"_

"Anything more specific?" Rose asked desperately biting her lip.

_"All in good time" said the second woman "Was she carjacked by two people?"_

"Yeah, she was. Yeah" Rose said.

_"There we are, just one of those cars was destined for the fast lane" she answered "That means that they had three onboard. And the car number is 4-6-5-diamond-6"_

"That's it!" Rose cried out "So how do we find them"

_"Ah" she answered "Now there I am afraid I can't help"_

"We can call them on this thing" Rose said "We've got the number, diamond-6"

"Not if they're designated fast lane" Branigan said "It's a different class"

_"You could try the police" said one of the Cassini Sisters_

"They put me on hold"

_"You have to keep trying" said the other "There's no-one else"_

"Thank you" Rose said disappointed that there was nothing else that they could do. She sighed and started to think, if she could convince Branigan to take her down…she could find Martha, get out and head back to the TARDIS. Then she will immediately work on her flying skills so she would never miss her destination and get someone kidnapped.

"I got to go onto the fast lane" she said looking pleadingly at the couple "could you please take me down?"

"Not in a million years" Valerie said.

"Please Valerie, I need to find Martha and we got three passengers" Rose said wondering if going on her knees begging would be below her.

"I'm sorry Rose but I can't risk my children, not after hearing those stories"

Rose sighed and stood there in silence when the screen came on. _"This is Sally Calypso, and it's that time again. The sun is blazing over the sky over the New Atlantic. The perfect setting for the daily contemplation. This is for all of you out there on the roads. We're so sorry. Drive safe"_ a soft hymn came on and Rose watched Branigan and Valerie sing along when she decided what to do.

"if you two won't take me down there, then I'll go down myself" she said striding the floor hatch and yanking it open, she snatched up the handkerchief Branigan had given her before and wrapped it round her mouth.

"You can't jump!" Valerie shrieked in horror.

"If it's any consolation, Valerie, right now I'm having kittens"

"This Martha must be very special to you" Branigan observed.

"Hardly know her. But it was my fault that she was kidnapped and I'm going to save her" Rose took a deep breath and jumped down, landing on the car below with a thunk.

"She's completely insane" Valerie said letting out a sigh of relief

"That and a bit magnificent" Branigan agreed looking a bit awed.

DWDWDWDWDWDWDW

Rose managed to get on to the second to last lane. She let out a small groan when she tripped slightly and landed on the floor of the car. She was helped up by a man who looked at her with confusion.

"Is that even legal?" he asked.

She yanked down the handkerchief from her mouth "don't know, don't care. Do you have any water? I'm dying for a drink"

"Sure, sure" the man said hurrying to get her a glass of water, which she promptly drained.

"Is this the last layer?" she asked handing him the glass back.

"Yes there's nothing below us apart from the fast lane"

"Could you drive me down there?" Rose asked.

"But there's only two of us!" the man exclaimed.

"We could cheat" Rose said temptingly, fluttering her eyelashes.

"Wish we could but it's an automated system, the wheel would lock"

"Then excuse me" Rose said as she moved to the capsule in the floor and opened it with the sonic screwdriver

"You can't jump, it's 1000 feet down"

"No I just want a look" she opened the capsule and looked out "What's that noise?"

"I try not to think about it"

Rose saw a claw like shape "crabs…" she whispered "crabs that live on dirty gas…MACRA! Oh my god there's Macra on the fast lane!"

There was another thunk and Rose turned round to see someone dressed in grey robes. "Well excuse me!" the man retorted "this isn't jump in central!"

The grey clothed person turned round "Rose Tyler, I found you. But where is the Doctor?"

"The Doctor's…gone, for good" Rose said avoiding eye contact with Novice Hame.

"Oh my poor child" Novice Hame said pulling Rose into a comforting embrace. Rose sighed and relaxed, she hadn't been held like this since she visited Sarah Jane so many months ago and before that her mother. Then she realised something, she pulled away quickly.

"Hang on the last time I saw you, you were growing clones to test medicine on. Like a cattle farm" she said disgusted at the idea.

"I sought forgiveness, I am most ashamed of myself" Novice Hame said looking down at the floor "but now Rose Tyler we need your help" at that she grabbed hold of Rose's wrist and pressed on the teleport button on her teleporter.

They disappeared in a white flash.

DWDWDWDWDWDWDWDW

"We need to go back!" Rose shouted "my friend Martha is trapped down there, I need to go back and save her"

"I'm so sorry Rose" Novice Hame said "but I only had enough for one teleport. But if you help us, you'll be able to save your friend"

Rose let out a frustrated groan "are we on the surface? Because I would like a word with the big cheese about the fact they got thousands upon thousands of people trapped on that stinking motorway"

"But you're inside the senate, right now. My the goddess Santori bless thee" light came on in the room and Rose looked up "They all died, Rose" she said "The city died"

"How long has it been like this?"

"24 years"

She crouched down beside a skeleton and she looked up at Novice Hame "All of them? Everyone? What happened?"

"A new chemical, a new mood." Hame answered "They called it 'bliss' everyone tried it, they couldn't stop. A virus mutated inside the compound and became airborne, everything perished, even the virus in the end. It killed the world in seven minutes flat. There was just enough time to close down the walkways and the flyovers, sealing off the under city. Those people on the motorway aren't lost, Rose, they were saved"

"So the whole thing down there is running on automatic"

"There is not enough power to get them out; we did what we could to stop the system from choking"

"Who's we? How did you survive?"

"He protected me" she paused "And he has been waiting for you and the Doctor these years"

"_Rose Tyler"_

Rose and Hame ran and found a jar "The Face of Boe" said Rose

_"I knew you would come, my friend. Where is the Doctor?"_

"He is gone. Trapped forever, 'fraid you're stuck with me"

The Face of Boe let out a weak chuckle _"I can think of so much worse things. I have forgotten that there is a time you will travel without the Doctor"_

"Yeah it's called forever" Rose mumbled "what happened to you? You seem so weak than before"

_"A failing"_

"He protected me from the virus by shrouding me in his smoke. But with no-one to maintain it the city's power died" Rose turned to look at Hame as she spoke "The under city would have fallen into the sea"

"So he saved them" Rose stated

"The Face of Boe wired himself into the mainframe; he's giving his life force just to keep things running"

"But there's planets out there. You could have called for help"

"The last act of the senate was to declare New Earth unsafe. The automatic quarantine lasts for 100 years" the Face of Boe gasped and Rose stood up and walked over to Novice Hame "So the two of you stayed here. On your own for all these years"

"We had no choice" Novice Hame said.

_"Save them, Rose"_ said the Face of Boe "_Save them"_

"I promise you I will; I'll do everything I can"

"_That's the Tyler spirit"_ the Face of Boe gasped out with a smile on his face.

Rose and Novice Hame managed to set everything up with the mainframe. But things were going on and what was needed was not what Rose was prepared to give.

"_I'll give it to you_" the Face of Boe said.

"No! You're going to live to see the city be free" Rose shouted.

"_My friend, I have lived long enough. I shall give you my last breath"_

"Hame look after him" Rose shouted flicking switches. And then it was done. The roof was open and everyone was free.

DWDWDWDWDWDW

"Rose?" Martha whispered, her voice breaking at the sight of the skeleton.

"Over here Martha"

She turned to see the blonde woman leaning against a pillar, she ran over and flung her arms round Rose and held on tightly. Then Rose pulled away.

"The Face of Boe!" she shouted, running off. Martha feeling confused ran after her. When Martha entered the room Rose was in she found a giant face lying in a cat woman's lap, Rose crouching beside them. "Don't die, please don't die"

"_Rose, it's my time too. I have lived for so long, I am so very old"_

"My lord has given his life for the city that is a noble way to die" Hame said tears falling down her cheeks.

"Plenty of life left" Rose argued.

"_It is nice to breath the air again"_

"Who is he?" Martha asked Rose quietly.

"Don't know, not really. He's a legend, said to have lived for billions of years"

"_Everything has it's time. Everything turns to dust; you know that better than anyone Bad Wolf"_

Rose shuddered at the burning memories.

"The legend said more, about a secret." Hame said.

"No, that's not for me to hear, it's for the Doctor"

"_But I shall tell it to you" _the Face of Boe said _"Rose Tyler, I have many secrets in my life and you shall learn them later on in your life. You are starting a huge journey but you must know that you will never be alone; the Children of Time will always be at your side. Hear this Rose Tyler, You. Are. Not. Alone."_

Rose frowned slightly at the Face of Boe's cryptic words but felt a solitary tear fall when he closed his eyes and died. Hame sobbed hysterically and Martha looked confused.

Rose sat there silently, what was the Children of Time? What future is she going to have? How did the Face of Boe know about Bad Wolf? What did he mean there was a time she travelled without the Doctor? Did he mean that the Doctor was coming back? Is that what he meant by that she's not alone?

She didn't know all she knew was that the next few centuries are probably going to be very busy.


	6. The Return of the Daleks

"Right then

"Right then! To make up for that disaster of a trip lets go to old New York for some shopping yeah? My treat" Rose said the moment they entered the TARDIS.

Martha stood there in silence watching Rose dance round the console flicking switches and pressing buttons. "Rose" she said building up enough courage to ask Rose the thing that had been on her mind. "What did the Face of Boe mean when he said you're not alone?"

"No idea" Rose said absently "maybe he meant you"

"I don't think he did" Martha said watching Rose's face carefully. "I think he meant that you're not the last of your species…but you aren't are you? There's a whole planet filled with them somewhere, right?"

"Left, wrong and no" Rose whispered "now that the Doctor is gone I'm literally the last of the Time Lords. Would say Ladies but it doesn't sound as effective as Time Lords"

"What happened?"

"A war. A war with the daleks"

"What are daleks?"

"Doesn't matter they're gone and we won't ever see them again" Rose snapped "now Old New York…"

DWDWDWDWDWDWDWDW

Martha opened the door and grinned at the sight of New York City that was across the water. "Where abouts are we?" she called over her shoulder.

Rose stepped out and smiled at Martha "turn around" Martha turned round and her mouth dropped open at the sight. She was standing at the foot of the Statue of Liberty.

"Oh my god" she whispered staring up at it in awe.

"Gateway to the New World.'Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses, yearning to breathe free'" Rose recited. She then scanned the view "hmmm…somehow I don't think we're in 2007 like I was aiming for"

"What makes you think that?" Martha asked.

"Well the Empire State Building isn't even finished yet" Rose said pointing to the building "looks like it needs a couple more floors before it is"

"Oh" Martha said, she spotted something on a bench not so far and walked up to it.

"I wonder where we are" Rose said to herself.

"1st November 1930" Martha said holding out a newspaper in front of Rose's face.

"Hooverville Mystery Deepens" Rose read out "forget shopping Martha we're playing Scooby Doo"

DWDWDWDWDWDWDW

Martha and Rose strolled through the park towards Hooverville, Martha babbling excitedly "because this is what a year after the Wall Street Crash, we just missed the roaring twenties where New York was at its height! This is amazing real life history. I really can't thank you enough!"

Rose chuckled at Martha's excitement as they entered the camp. There was a fight going on and the two girls watched it in silence as the man that seemed to be the leader broke it up.

"I take it you're the leader here then?" Rose called out.

The man turned round and eyed the two of them "yes I am. My name is Solomon. What is your name?"

"Rose Tyler and this is Martha Jones"

"Welcome Miss Tyler and Miss Jones, you're welcome to stay with us if you have no place to go" Solomon said holding his hands out near the fire to keep them warm. "This is Hooverville where there is no superior everyone, man and woman, white and black, adult and children are equal. We are a true society and you are welcome"

"Thank you" Rose said, she held out the newspaper. "I'm here to ask about this. What do you mean by missing? I mean it's not like you can keep a register here"

The man took the newspaper and looked at it sadly "it's different, it's not like they leave without a note. They get taken in the middle of the night. We hear them calling for help and by the time we arrive they have vanished into thin air."

"And you're sure someone's taking them?" Rose asked.

"Miss Tyler, when you've got next to nothing, you hold on to the little you've got. Knife, blanket, you take it with you. You don't leave bread uneaten, a fire still burning"

"Have you been to the police?" Martha asked.

"Yeah, we tried that." Solomon said "Another deadbeat goes missing, big deal"

Two men came running up to them "Solomon, he's here! He' here! Mr Diagoras is here!" one of them shouted excitedly. Solomon got up and leaded the two women to a crowd that was forming round three suited men.

"I need men!" a man in a black suit shouted that Rose assumed was Mr Diagoras. "Volunteers, I got a little job for you and you sure look like you could use the money"

"Yeah, what's the money?" one of the men called out.

"A dollar a day" Diagoras answered.

The men all around him were laughing and Solomon stepped forwards "What's the work?"

"A little trip down the sewers" Diagoras said "Got a tunnel collapsed, needs clearing and fixing, any takers?"

"A dollar a day is a slave's wage" Solomon said, all the men agreed with him noisily. "And men don't always come back up, do they?"

"Accidents happen" said Diagoras

"What sort of accidents" Rose asked holding her hand up in the air to get the man's attention.

You don't need work that's fine. Anybody else?" Rose raised her hand again. "Enough with the questions" Diagoras snapped.

"Oh, no, no, no. I'm volunteering. I'll go" Rose said cheerfully.

Martha looked at her and said "I'll kill you for this" as she raised her hand "and you so owe me a proper shopping trip"

DWDWDWDWDWDWDWDW

Solomon and a young man called Frank also volunteered mostly because as Solomon put it two young ladies shouldn't go in such a dangerous situation on their own. Martha and Frank walked ahead talking quietly to each other, Rose couldn't help but get the feeling that Martha found another admirer.

Solomon watched Rose silently before speaking "at first I thought you were a reckless child looking for some danger"

"Really? Well I can assure you Solomon that I don't look for it. It just happens" Rose said "well actually that's a lie, I can't resist a mystery"

"You seem older than your years. How old are you?"

Rose shrugged "not sure. Over twenty one that's for sure. I sort of lost track"

"How could you lose track when you're so young? What on earth could you have seen to make you so old?"

"Trust me Solomon, you don't want to know" Rose said quietly.

Martha let out a shocked gasp "Rose over here" she said pointing to something on the floor "I think it's radioactive"

Rose leaned over Martha's shoulder to see a fluorescent green thing lying on the middle of the floor. Rose pushed Martha out of the way gently and knelt besides the thing; she pulled out the sonic screwdriver and prodded it.

"Looks bit like a brain doesn't it?" Rose said "a radioactive brain. What could have a radioactive brain? Well there's a few species but how do I narrow it down, hmm…" she continued to prod it in silence.

"Erm Rose?"

"Not now Martha I'm trying to think"

"Rose there's-"

"Martha please I'm not good at this! I need to think"

"Rose behind you!"

Rose turned her head sharply to see a heard? A flock? A rabble? Of human pig hybrids walking up to her menacingly.

"Ah! Everyone I think we should RUN!"

The four of them sprinted down the sewer, the radioactive brain forgotten. The human pig hybrids followed hot on their heels. They skidded down a dead end and Rose pushed Martha up on to a ladder.

"Up! Up, quickly!" she said reaching out to push Solomon on next.

"Ladies first" Solomon argued pushing Rose onto the ladder "I'm right behind you Miss Tyler. Frank hurry up!"

Frank climbed the ladder but slipped. Solomon reached out and grabbed hold of him trying to pull him up. "I got you, I got you!" Solomon shouted.

"Come on! Come on!" Rose shouted from her position. , Solomon continued to try to pull Frank up, but he couldn't as the human pig hybrids had grabbed hold of frank and they were pulling him back, Frank's hands slipped from Solomon's and the pig things pulled him out of sight.

"Frank!" shouted Solomon. Solomon shoved Rose over and closed off the ladder so that nothing could get to them. "We can't go back after them" he said as Martha tried to stop him

"I've got to go back down" Martha said "we can't leave him"

"No," said Solomon "I'm not losing anyone else. Those creatures were from hell itself. If we go after him, they'll take us all. There' nothing we can do"

Suddenly a blonde dressed in red came round from behind a shelve and held a gun up at them. "Hands up in the air. Now tell me what have you done to Lazlo?"

"Who's Lazlo?" Martha asked looking confused.

"Lazlo's my boyfriend" she paused "Was my boyfriend, until he disappeared two weeks ago. No letter, no goodbye, no nothing" she was waving the gun about. "And I'm not stupid. I know some guys are just pigs, but not my Lazlo. I mean what kind of guy asks you to meet his mother before he vamooses?"

Rose edged slowly towards her indicating that she should put the gun down "Might...might just help if you put that down" she suggested. The woman looked at the gun as if she had forgotten that she even had it

"Huh? Oh this? Don't worry it's just a prop, it was either this or a spear" the woman chucked it onto a basket behind Martha.

"What do you think happened to Lazlo?" Martha asked.

"I wish I knew, one minute he's there, then the next, zip, vanished"

"Listen, what was your name?" Rose asked.

"Tallulah" she answered "three L's and an H"

"Right, we can try to find Lazlo, but he's not the only one. There are people disappearing every night" Rose said to Martha.

"And there are creatures, such creatures..." Solomon said shivering.

"What do you mean creatures?" Tallulah asked looking curious.

"I won't lie to you, Tallulah" Rose said "right now everyone is in danger and I left that green brain thing so I don't know what's causing this. Solomon will you go back and warn everyone at Hooverville? I promise you that I'll find Frank"

"For some wild reason I believe you Miss Tyler" Solomon said "I'll warn the others, you do whatever it takes to save Frank"

"But if you need a safe place to hide out you can hang out in my dressing room" Tallulah said. "Then we can find Lazlo and this Frank guy together"

DWDWDWDWDWDWDWDW

Rose stood in Tallulah's dressing room, leaning against the wall stuck in thought while Martha sat beside Tallulah who was talking about Lazlo.

"He'd wait for me after the show. Walk me home like I was a lady. He'd leave a flower for me on my dressing table. Every day, just a single rosebud"

"Haven't you reported him missing?" Martha asked.

"Sure, but he's just a stagehand, who cares? The management certainly don't" Tallulah said bitterly.

"Can't you kick up a fuss or something?"

"Okay, so then they fire me"

"But they'd listen to you. You're one of the stars"

"Oh honey, I got one song in a backstreet revue and that's only cause Heidi Chicane broke her ankle, which had nothing to do with me no matter what anybody says." she turned to the mirror and continued "I can't afford to make a fuss. If I don't make this months rent, then before you know it I'm in Hooverville"

"Okay, I get it"

"It's the Depression sweetie. Your heart might break, but the show goes on, cause if it stops, you starve." she stood up "Every night I go out there, sing, dance, keep going, hoping that he's gonna come back" she started to cry and Martha hugged her

"I'm sorry"

Tallulah sniffled "yeah, well it's not your fault" she pulled out a tissue and blew into it. "What about you girls? Got a man to keep your bed warm in those cold winter nights"

"Oh I wish!" Martha exclaimed "haven't met the right man"

"Though Shakespeare made a try for it" Rose muttered under her breath. "What about Frank, Martha? He seemed to be interested in you" she said louder.

"He's all right" Martha said shrugging "but I don't fancy him"

"What about you Rose?" Tallulah said "got a guy hidden somewhere?"

"No…there was this one guy…but…" Rose blinked furiously, just thinking about it made her want to cry.

"But?" Tallulah pressed on.

"Lost him, big battle. He's gone, forever" Rose said flatly.

"Oh sweetie" Tallulah reached out and pulled Rose into a huge hug, Rose almost choked on the musky perfume Tallulah wore. There was a knock on the door and someone shouted to Tallulah that the show was about to start. Tallulah turned to Martha "Come on, honey, take a look" she paused "Ever been on stage before?"

"Oh, a little bit" Martha said shrugging "You know, Shakespeare" she grinned out Rose who smiled weakly back.

"How dull is that" said Tallulah laughingly letting Rose go "Come and see a real show", she dragged Martha and Rose out on to the stage and left them at the curtain and then she went on the stage herself.

DWDWDWDWDWDWDWDW

Rose inwardly cursed to herself. They had spotted someone watching Tallulah on the other side of the stage and Martha being her curious self ran over disturbing the show to find out who it was. Not only just that but she got herself kidnapped somehow and Rose only got there in time to see her being dragged down into the sewers. Now Rose and Tallulah (who refused to leave Rose alone) were wandering round the dark, dank sewers looking for Martha with the risk of being kidnapped or eaten by one of the human pig hybrids.

Then Rose saw it, she inhaled sharply and pulled Tallulah behind an alcove.

"wha-" Tallulah started but Rose shushed her.

"It can't be" Rose whispered, she peered round the alcove and watched the metal large pepper pot glide past. "No matter how many times, they always survive!" Rose hissed "how many times must I kill them?"

"What are they? They're just metal" Tallulah asked.

"Daleks" Rose hissed. "And they're not just metal, inside is a living being that kills all the time, non stop"

"But that implies that they're not human" Tallulah said "that implies that they're from outer space!"

Rose didn't answer; she just dragged Tallulah down a path that avoided the dalek. Suddenly they bumped into one of the human pig hybrids but unlike the others it stood there calmly.

"Where's Martha?" she asked "Where is she?"

"I didn't take her" the pig hybrid said looking at the ground.

"Do you remember your name?" Rose asked softly.

"Lazlo" he said turning to Tallulah "I'm sorry" he said to her "I never wanted you to see me like this"

"Oh Lazlo I was so worried!" Tallulah said flinging her arms round his neck "I wouldn't have cared! Might have screamed at first but once I got over the shock…"

Lazlo, who did this to you?" Rose asked.

"The masters"

"Why?"

"They needed slaves to steal more people" he said "So they made us, part human, part animal. I got away before they got my mind"

"Lazlo? Can you show us where they've taken Martha?"

"Yes they went this way" Lazlo said waving a hand down a path. "I can show you properly but I want Tallulah to go back to the theatre"

"No it's too dangerous there" Rose said "she can go to Hooverville. Solomon will look after her."

"Or maybe she wants to stay here!" Tallulah said crossing her arms.

"No! Please Tallulah, I can't lose you!"

Tallulah sighed and pressed a kiss on Lazlo's cheek "come back to me" she whispered before running.

DWDWDWDWDWDWDW

"Psst Martha"

Martha turned to the side to see Rose walking beside her. "Oh I am so glad to see you!" she cried out.

"Yeah reunions later, I need you to find out what the daleks are up to"

"Can't you do it?" Martha asked.

"They know my face. They'll kill me on sight" Rose whispered "please Martha, they're crowding round the black one. Ask them now"

"Daleks!" Martha said loudly catching their attention as they turned to her "I demand to be told, what is this final experiment"

"You will bear witness" one of them said.

"To what?" Martha asked.

"This is the dawn of a new age"

"What does that mean?"

"We are the only four Daleks in existence. So the species must evolve. A life outside the shell. The children of Skaro must walk again" the Dalek stopped talking and turned to the black Dalek.

the prisoners watched as it's eyestalk changed colour from blue to black and then it's shell opened and a man stepped out, he wore Mr Diagoras' suit, so it was completely obvious who that Dalek had used to walk again, his head was completely ugly, he had tentacles growing out of his face and he had one eye, just like the Daleks inside the shells had only one eye, his brain however looked as thought it would come out of the very thin layer of skin it was beneath

"What is it?" Martha asked her fear in her voice.

"I am a human Dalek"


	7. Evolution

Previously:

**Previously:**

_"I am a human Dalek__" _

"These humans" the Human Dalek said waving a hand to Martha, Frank and the other humans "prepare them for hybridisation" the human pig hybrids shuffled towards Martha and the others menacingly when some soft jazz music filled the air.

"What is that?" the Human Dalek asked looking around.

"Oh that would be me" Rose said swaying her hips to the music "hello, do you remember me"

"It is the Abomination" one of the daleks grated out.

"Oh that's a nice way to greet an old friend" Rose said sarcastically. "Blimey it has been a while, well for me only hmm… ten months? How long has it been for you four?"

"Only a year" the Human Dalek rasped staring at Rose intensely "you have changed. You have evolved like I have"

"Yeah evolution is nasty that way isn't it?" Rose said smirking slightly "we should have a club, the evolved united or something"

"Are you alone or is the Doctor lurking in the shadows leaving you to do his dirty work" the Human Dalek sneered.

Rose's smirk faded instantly "you have no right to speak his name"

"He's dead isn't he? Died in the middle of his own slaughter"

"Oh no he's still alive. Speaking of which how did you and your little gang escape?"

"Emergency Temporal Shift"

"Ah, sneaky little buggers aren't you? But you're human now, well part human. How does it feel? To have emotions?" Rose asked hoping that he like the dalek she met so long ago when the Doctor had blue eyes and big ears, will feel remorse and stop the killings.

I feel Humanity"

"That's good" Rose said.

"I feel everything we wanted for mankind, which is ambition, hatred, aggression and war"

"No, that's not what humanity means" Rose said shaking her head.

"I think it does"

"Trust me Sec I've been human, humanity means caring about others, being loved, falling in love, happiness, living life day by day, dancing to music. Speaking of which this radio plays lovely music and if I just change the setting just like this…"

A loud high pitch squeal echoed into the room and Sec covered his ears screaming while the other daleks went to protect him. Rose grabbed hold of Martha's hand and shouted run on the top of her voice as she ran down the tunnel.

DWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDW

These daleks sound like the stuff of nightmares" Solomon said gravely staring into the fire. "And they want to breed?"

"They're splicing themselves onto human bodies and if I'm right, then they've got a large breeding stock right here in Hooverville. You've got to get everyone out"

"Hooverville's the lowest place a man can fall. There's nowhere else to go" Solomon argued.

"I'm sorry Solomon, you've got to scatter, go anywhere, get on the rail roads, travel across state, just get out of New York" Rose said "if you don't they'll capture you and turn you into foul things, forcing you to become a killer"

"There's got to be a way to reason with these things"

"No there's not. They don't negotiate"

"Surely there must be something they want"

"All of you dead" Rose snarled "Daleks are bad enough at any time, but right now they're vulnerable. That makes them more dangerous than ever"

Suddenly there was a shout from the tree line "They're coming. They're coming"

"A sentry must have seen something" Solomon said getting up.

"They're here, I've seen them, they're monsters" the terrified man said that was now running into the camp

All around the camp the men picked up their weapons and moved together in the circle that they had formed around Solomon, Rose, Martha, Frank and Tallulah who was just plain scared.

"We need to get out of the park" Martha said.

"We can't" Frank said "They're on all sides. They're driving everyone back towards us"

The men from the camps outskirts were driven back to the centre. The daleks came, there were only two them and Frank stepped forwards and pointed his gun at one of the Daleks and shot, but nothing happened.

Rose pushed the gun down. "That won't work".

The daleks suddenly began to attack the camp.

All around there were fires and people screaming, they didn't know how many fatalities there were yet but suddenly the daleks eventually stopped the attack. "The humans will surrender"

"Leave them alone" Rose shouted.

Solomon stepped forwards, Rose grabbed him "No, Solomon, stay back!"

"I'm told that I'm addressing the daleks is that correct?" he paused "From what I hear, you're outcasts too"

"Solomon, don't"

"Miss Tyler, this is my township, you will respect my authority" he pushed Rose away from him. "Just let me try".

Solomon stepped forwards again holding up his weapon as a gesture of surrender "daleks, aren't we the same? Underneath, aren't we all kin?" he put down his gun down "Cause, you see, I've just discovered that, just this very day, that God's universe is a thousand times bigger than I thought it was and that scares me . Oh yeah, terrifies me right down to the bone. But surely it's got to give me hope, hope that maybe together; we can make a better tomorrow. So I beg you right now, if you have any compassion in your hearts, then you'll meet with us and stop this fight. Well?" he paused "What do you say?"

"EX-TERMINATE!" the green coloured light came from the daleks gun and hit Solomon right over his heart, Rose dropped to her knees beside him and closed his eyes. "I'm so sorry but I tried to warn you" she whispered in his ear.

"They killed him" Martha said disgusted. "They just killed him on the spot" by this point Frank was beside Solomon as well

"Daleks" Rose snarled getting up on to her feet. "Alright then, so it's my turn. Then kill me. Kill me if it will stop you killing these people"

The Daleks aimed their weapons at her and Rose closed her eyes thinking _I am so sorry Martha, I am so sorry Doctor but I can't do this without you._

"EX-TERMINATE!" nothing happened and she opened her eyes to see the daleks hovering in silence.

"What's going on?" she asked the daleks.

"You will follow" one of the daleks said.

"No you can't" Martha shrieked reaching out for Rose.

"I've got to, the daleks just change their minds, and daleks never change their minds"

"What about us?" Martha asked, gesturing at the people of Hooverville that surrounded them

"One condition" Rose said staring right up at the eye piece of the dalek. "If I come with you, you spare the lives of everyone here. Do you hear me?"

"Humans will be spared, Bad Wolf will follow"

"No!" Martha shouted grabbing a fistful of Rose's hoodie. "Don't go!"

"Martha Jones, Dr Martha Jones. It was such a pleasure meeting you" Rose said pulling the woman into a hug and shoving something in her hand. "Make me proud"

She then pulled away and followed the daleks leaving a confused medical student who was staring at the psychic paper in her hand.

DWDWDWDWDWDWDW

Rose stormed into the daleks laboratory fuming with anger; she hated these creatures with a passion. "You killed them! You went out and slaughtered a bunch of humans, for what reason? They have done nothing to you, it was me you wanted not them! But no you had to start killing because that's all what you're good at, killing"

"The deaths were wrong" Sec said quietly.

Rose blinked "I'm sorry did you just say what I think you said"

"That man, their leader Solomon showed such courage"

"And that's a good thing?"

"It's an excellent thing!" Sec exclaimed.

"I think you have a little more human in you than you thought" Rose murmured.

"Rose Tyler" Rose looked at Sec in shock, never before has he used her name. She was always the Abomination or Bad Wolf or the human girl or the Doctor's Companion to him. "You have evolved only to be the last. I can hear you double heart beat and I know that the Time Lords are gone including the Doctor leaving you alone. I am the first of my kind"

"What do you want from me?" Rose asked.

We tried everything to survive. When we found ourselves stranded in this ignorant age, first we tried, going new dalek embryos, but their flesh was too weak"

"Yeah, I found one of your experiments, just left out to die in the dark"

"It forced us to conclude, what is the greatest resource on this planet? It's people"

He paused and pulled a lever up and the lights came on and all over the roof were stretchers that were held up with strong wires and then Sec pulled another lever and one of the stretchers was brought down.

Rose wandered over to the stretcher and Sec said when he reached it "We stole them. We stole human beings for our purpose" he pointed to the canvas bag on the stretcher and said "Look inside". Rose slowly opened the bag dreading to see what was in it and stared in shock when she saw a human male, around about 40 years old lying in the bag as though dead "This is the true extent of the final experiment."

"Is he dead?" Rose whispered

"Near death"Sec replied "With his mind wiped ready to be filled with new ideas."

"Dalek ideas" Rose spat out.

"The Human Dalek race" Sec pointed out.

"All of these people, how many?"

"We have caverns beyond this, storing more than 1000"

"Can we make them human again?" Rose asked.

"Everything they have been is now lost" Sec said looking a bit guilty.

"So they're just shells…but how are you going to convert them using 1930 technology? It makes no sense!"

Sec turns to the other daleks "Bring up the conductor plans"

DWDWDWDWDWDWDW

Sec showed Rose where they were and what their plan was.

"We needed an energy converter"

"What for?" Rose asked.

"I am the genetic template" Sec said "My altered DNA was to be administered to each Human body" the picture on the screen changed to show two different strands of DNA, one was obviously human and the other dalek, then there was a blast of energy and the two strands combined "A strong enough strike of gamma radiation can splice the dalek and human genetic codes together and waken each body from its sleep"

"Gamma radiation? What?" the image changed to show the sun and the Earth. "Oh" Rose said in realisation.

"Soon the greatest solar flare for 1000 years will hit the Earth. Gamma radiation will be drawn to the energy conductor and when it strikes..."

"The army awakens" Rose finished gritting her teeth "I still don't know what you need me for"

"You're a genius. Consider a pure dalek. Intelligent, but emotionless"

"Removing your emotions makes you stronger" Rose said "wasn't that what your emperor thought?"

"He was wrong"

"Was he now?" Rose asked feeling amused.

"It makes us lesser than our enemies, we must return to the flesh and also the heart"

"You wouldn't be the supreme beings anymore"

"And that is good"

"That is incorrect" one of the daleks said.

"Daleks are supreme" said another

"No!" Sec shouted "Not anymore"

"But that is our purpose"

Dalek Sec was growing angry at the daleks before him "Then our purpose is wrong" he said "Where has our quest for supremacy led us? To this, hiding in the sewers on a primitive world, just four of us left. If we do not change now, then we deserve extinction"

"So you want to change everything that makes a dalek a dalek" Rose said quietly.

"If you can help me"

"But I don't know how! I'm not the Doctor!"

"Please Rose you have the human instinct you should know something" Sec said pleadingly.

"I'm so sorry I just don't know anything!"

"Just try!"

"But there's no room on Earth for another race!" Rose argued weakly.

"You have the Doctor's TARDIS don't you? Or some form of time travel, must have to get here. Take us away, an abandoned planet. Anywhere"

Rose thought for a moment, if she tried and succeeded not only did she have a hand to ensure no more daleks will bother the universe again but she would have peace. The creatures that separated her from the Doctor no longer a threat. "How long till the solar flare?"

"Eleven minutes"

"Better get cracking then"

"Thank you Rose Tyler"

DWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDW

Rose stared at the chemicals silently for one minute and allowed the human instinct that she still had mingled with the knowledge that she had gained. "Chromosomal grafting, it's too erratic. We need to split the genome" she whispered reaching out for the chemicals beginning to mix them up as if she had done it a thousand times before.

"We need more chromatin solution" Sec announced "The Pig Slaves have it"

Several Pig Slaves entered the laboratory with a large crate full of what Rose figured was the chromatin solution; they placed the crate on the floor.

"These Pig Slaves? What happens to them in the grand plan?" Rose asked quietly.

"Nothing" Sec said calmly "They're just simple beasts. Their life span is limited, none survive beyond a few weeks" Sec turned to the nearest true dalek "Power up the line feeds"

The dalek did as it was told as Rose slid up to Lazlo.

"Do you trust them?" Lazlo murmured.

"No" Rose admitted "but I have to believe that he really wants to change the daleks to something better" They watched the solution go into the life feeds and Rose could only hope that she had done the right thing.

An alarm began to sound "What's that?" Rose asked alarmed, had she done something wrong?

"What's happening? Is there a malfunction? Answer me!" Sec demanded.

"I think they override the gene feed" Rose whispered.

"Impossible!" Sec shouted "They cannot disobey orders

One of the daleks glided towards Rose "The Bad Wolf will step away from the controls" it continued to glide towards Rose, who walked backwards slowly.

"Stop!" Sec ordered "You will not fire!"

"She is the enemy of the daleks" Sec moved to stand next to Rose "And so are you"

"I am your commander I am Dalek Sec"

"You have lost your authority" said one

"You are no longer a dalek" said another

"What have you done" Rose said quietly "What's going into the gene feed?"

"The new bodies will be one hundred percent Dalek"

Sec was furious; everything that he had worked towards was being destroyed by the other daleks. "No!" he said "You can't do this"

Dalek Cann turned his eye stalk towards the Pig Slaves and said "Pig Slaves, restrain Dalek Sec and the Abomination"

The Pig Slaves gathered round Rose and Sec grabbing their arms, the Pig Slave that had Rose was Lazlo, the others were all holding Sec and standing behind the two of them.

"Release me!" Sec ordered. "I created you, I am your master" While Sec was talking Lazlo pulled Rose back a little

The daleks were talking about the solar flare and were preparing to intercept it. Lazlo looked behind her "There's the lift" he murmured in her ear.

"After you" Rose said. The pair of them ran into the lift as quickly as they could.

"Bad Wolf is escaping" one of the daleks cried out "Stop her! Stop her!"

DWDWDWDWDWDWDWDW

The moment Rose stepped out of the lift and was almost knocked off her feet by Martha. "Martha let go we don't have much time till the solar flare. Did you find the additions?"

"Yeah up on the mast" Martha said pulling away from Rose.

Rose strolled up to the ladder and stared up "right I have to get up there and remove it then. Good thing I'm not afraid of heights" she wrapped her hands round the cool metal bars and took a step up.

"Be careful" Martha whispered.

Rose didn't reply, she just continued to climb. The moment she got up to the top she fell on to her knees and began to use the sonic screwdriver on the dalekanium, it took to long to get the first piece off and when she was working on the second the sonic screwdriver slipped out and she was forced to attempt it manually…which was a lost cause.

She grabbed hold of the mast just as the lightening hit it and screamed. The pain was horrific; she started to shudder before everything went dark.

_Rose…Rose…Rose Marion Tyler what were you thinking?_

_Mum?_

_Oh my baby girl, look at you. I did warn you didn't I? That one day you'll be a strange alien woman who's not Rose Tyler._

_I'm still me!_

_No you're not and I'm not just talking about your biology I'm talking about you. You haven't been the same. You've been acting old and bitter, you've been acting like the Doctor._

_How do you know all of this?_

_Honey I'm your subconscious, I know everything about you. _

"Rose, Rose wake up. Please wake up. Look what I found; it was on the floor just lying there"

Rose opened her eyes slowly to not see Jackie Tyler but Martha Jones leaning over here. She sighed, it was all a hallucination.

"Rose…why is there still dalekanium on the mast"

And then she sat up abruptly.

DWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDW

They arrived at the theatre and Rose climbed up onto on of the chairs. "This should do it" she muttered as she pressed something on her sonic screwdriver and it started flashing.

"What are you doing?" Martha asked

"If the daleks are going to war" Rose said "they'll want to find their number one enemy, I'm just telling them where I am. Martha I want you to go back to Hooverville"

"No way!" Martha said

"I'm telling you to go" Rose snapped "Frank can take you back to Hooverville"

"And I'm telling you, I'm not going" Martha retorted

"Martha" Rose said "The daleks are my worst enemy, they're brutal and bloodthirsty and I don't want you hurt"

It was too late, there were banging sounds and the new human daleks entered the theatre from each side.

"Well, I guess that's them, huh?" Tallulah asked.

"Humans with dalek DNA?" Martha said.

"It's alright, it's alright" Rose said as Frank tried to move, she grabbed him by the arms "Don't antagonise them"

"But what of the dalek Masters?" Lazlo asked "Where are they?"

There was an explosion on the stage and everyone ducked for protection, Rose peered over the top of the chair to see out of the smoke from the explosion rolled two daleks with Sec crawling on the floor chained up to them.

"The Abomination will stand before the daleks"

Rose climbed up onto the top of the chair and walked on the tops to the stage.

"You will die Bad Wolf. It's the beginning of a new age."

"Planet Earth will become new Skaro"

"Oh and what a world" Rose said sarcastically "With everything just the slightest bit different ground into the dirt. That's Dalek Sec, don't you remember?" she asked "The cleverest dalek ever and look what you've done to him. Is that your new empire? Hmm? Is that the foundation for a whole new civilisation?"

"My daleks," Sec said standing up to address the human daleks who were standing in the theatre aisles "Just understand this. If you choose death and destruction, then death and destruction will choose you"

"Incorrect" said one of the daleks "We always survive"

"Now we will destroy our greatest enemy the killer of our emperor" said the other

"But she can help you" Sec cried out.

"The Abomination must die"

"No I beg you, don't" Sec said

"EX-TERMINATE" The dalek shot at Rose but Sec got in the way and took the shot himself.

"NO!" Rose shouted "how could you? Your own leader! The only creature that might have led you out of the darkness and you killed him." she turned to the human daleks "did you see what they did? That could be you next" she turned back to the stage "If I'm gonna die, let's give the new boys a shot, what do you think, eh? Their first blood?" she asked "Go on baptise them!"

Truth was she just wanted to die, why couldn't Sec let her die? The foolish hero, that's how he'll be remembered by her now.

"Dalek humans take aim" the dalek humans around the theatre aimed their weapons at Rose.

"What are you waiting for? Give the command"

"EX-TERMINATE!" nothing happened, the command was repeated and still nothing happened "Obey, dalek humans will obey"

"They're not firing" Martha said, she looked at Rose "what did you do?"

"You will obey" one dalek said "EX-TERMINATE"

"Why?" asked one of the dalek humans

The daleks on the stage, if they could that is would have been confused "Daleks do not question orders!"

"But why?"

"You will stop this" said the other dalek

"But why?"

"You must not question"

"But you are not our master" he said "And we...We are not daleks"

"No you're not" Rose agreed "And you never will be" she looked at the daleks on the stage "Sorry. I got in the way of the lightning strike. Time Lord DNA got all mixed up. And not just any Time Lord DNA but Rose Tyler's. Just that little bit of freedom" she said grinning.

She was no longer alone, she had a race of people glowing in the back of her mind and it was fantastic.

"If they will not obey then they must die" the dalek fired at the Time Lord Human Dalek hybrid and killed it, this started a fight. Everyone ducked. The hybrids managed to destroy the two daleks.

Suddenly the hybrids grabbed their heads in pain and started to convulse after a few minutes they all fell to the ground dead. "No!" Rose shrieked "They can't, they can't, and they just can't"

"What happened?" Martha asked.

"They killed them. They killed them rather than let them live. An entire species. Genocide" Rose said quietly.

"Only two of the daleks has been destroyed" Lazlo said "One of the Dalek Masters must still be alive"

"Oh yes" Rose said quietly "In the whole universe, just one. Martha go with Frank to Hooverville to explain what happened"

"Where are you going?" Martha asked already knowing the answer and not liking it.

"I'm going to find that dalek" Rose said simply.

DWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDW

Rose entered the laboratory to find the last dalek as the only occupant. "Now what?" she asked it

"You will be EX-TERMINATED"

"Yeah, yeah, yeah, just think about it, Dalek what-was-your-name?"

"Dalek Cann"

"Dalek Cann" Rose repeated as she began to walk towards the dalek "Your entire species has been wiped out, and now the cult of Skaro has been destroyed, leaving only you. Right now, you're facing the only person in the universe that might show you some compassion. Because I've just seen one genocide, I won't cause another. I don't want anymore death. What do you say?"

"EMERGENCY TEMPORAL SHIFT"

The dalek disappeared and Rose whispered "yeah I was afraid that was your answer"

"Rose!" Tallulah shouted, running in the laboratory with Martha. . Tallulah and Martha were trying to hold Lazlo upright. "He's sick" Tallulah continued.

"It's okay, you're alright" said Martha as she and Tallulah lowered the sick man to the ground. "It's his heart" Martha explained "It's racing like mad; I've never seen anything like it"

"What is it, Rose?" asked Tallulah "What's the matter with him? He says he can't breathe, what is it?"

"It's time, sweetheart" said Lazlo

"What do you mean 'time'?" asked Tallulah "What are you talking about?"

"None of the slaves survive for long" he explained "most of them only live for a few weeks. I was lucky. I held on because I had you. But now... I'm dying Tallulah"

"No, you're not" she said "Not after all this. Rose, can't you do something? I can't live without him, not properly and you know what it's like"

Didn't she just?

"Oh Tallulah with three l's and a h" she said "you just watch me" she stood up "What do I need? Oh, I don't know, what about a great, big genetic laboratory? Oh look, I've got one. Lazlo, you just hold on" she said "There's been too many deaths today, way too many people have died. Brand new creatures wise old men and age old enemies. And I'm telling you, I'm telling you right now, I'm not having one more death! Have you got that? Not one"

DWDWDWDWDWDWDWDW

They were back at the TARDIS, Rose staring into space wondering. Wondering if she'll ever meet Cann again, wondering if it'll ever be over. Wondering what her mother was doing, what was the Doctor doing and if she now has a baby brother or sister?

"Where to next?" Martha asked brightly.

"Home" Rose said "if you want to travel with me permanently then you have to pack a bag and say your goodbyes"

"Do you really mean it?" Martha asked.

"Only if you still want to, after all you seen do you think you could handle it?"

"Yes"

"Well then, let's get going"


	8. Lazarus Experiment

Rose managed to land the TARDIS in a corner of Martha's flat

Rose managed to land the TARDIS in a corner of Martha's flat. She peered out of the door and beamed when she saw that she hadn't landed on any of the furniture. "Here we go, should have only been twelve hours since we left. But don't kill me if it turns out to be twelve months, the Doctor did that to me. I think he's cheek never felt the same way again"

It was the first time she had spoken about him without feeling choked up. She might be getting better; all maybe she's just to excited with the idea of having a permanent companion that she's not getting upset.

"You're saying that I met Shakespeare, went to the future and 1930 all in one night?" Martha asked disbelievingly.

"Yep" Rose said. "Now pack your stuff up, call your mum and let's get going. I was thinking of looking into going to a completely different planet in a completely different galaxy that's not New Earth. What do you think?"

"Sounds like fun" Martha said eyeing up her bookshelf wondering if she could take all of her medical texts. Martha's phone began to ring the pair ignored it as Martha began to debate which books were more important.

_Hi, I'm out. Leave a message."_

"I'm sorry" Martha said "I'll get that in a moment"

_"Martha are you there? Pick it up, will you?"_

"Its mum, it'll wait"

_"Alright then, pretend that you're out if you like"_

The two of them laughed. _"I was only calling to say that your sister's on TV. On the news of all things. Just thought that you might be interested" _

Martha picked up the remote for her television and turned it on, there was a report on the news that was going on about something top secret and sure enough, right there in the background was Martha's sister Tish.

"How did Tish end up on the news?" Rose asked sitting down on the sofa.

"… _but I can tell you that tonight. I will demonstrate a device which will…"_

"She got a new job" Martha said "doing PR for some research lab"

"_With the push of a single button, I will change what it means to be human"_

"Right then" Martha said switching the television off. "What do I need to take with me?"

"Might want to hold of the packing Martha" Rose said "change of plans, we have a party to go to"

DWDWDWDWDWDWDW

"You look fantastic!" Martha exclaimed when she spotted Rose stepping out of the TARDIS "I haven't seen you in pink before"

Rose rotated slowly "you're sure it looks all right? I haven't dressed up in a long time" last time it was for a ball in a far away alien planet where she and the Doctor were guests. He actually danced with her for the majority of the night which was so out of his character…she would die to have him with her now.

"Rose the dress looks great on you" Martha said reassuring her. It was a pale pink knee length dress, strapless with a sweetheart neckline and a black ribbon at the waist. She even had a matching purse which Martha assumed held the sonic screwdriver and a few bits and bobs. "What about moi? Do I look acceptable?" she asked twirling round in her sleeveless black knee length dress.

"Beautiful" Rose said sincerely "now let's go before we miss out on the demonstration"

DWDWDWDWDWDWDWDW

"Tish" Martha said, seemingly overjoyed to see her younger sister. The two of them hugged, while Rose watched them enviously, she'll never get to her younger sibling; cure the Doctor for telling her, now she's jealous of every sibling bonding she sees. "You look great" Tish said. "So, what do you think?" she asked her sister "Impressive isn't it?"

"Very" said Martha, as she looked around the room.

"And two nights out in a row for you." she teased "That's dangerously close to a social life"

"If I keep this up, I might end up in all the gossip columns"

"You might, actually." said Tish "You should keep an eye out for photographers. And mum, she's coming too; she's even dragging Leo along with her"

"Leo?" asked Martha "Leo in black tie? That I must see"

"Leo's your brother, right?" Rose asked trying to remember everything Martha told her about her family.

"Who's this?" Tish asked pointing at Rose.

"This is my plus one, Rose Tyler she's also a medical student"

"Hello!" Rose said cheerfully shaking Tish's hand who looked down at Rose with distaste. "So this Lazarus is your boss then?"

Professor Lazarus, yes. I'm part of his executive staff"

"She's in the PR department" Martha said

"I'm head of the PR department, actually" said Tish

"You're joking" Martha said

"I put this whole thing together" Tish admitted

"So what's that?" Rose butted in pointing at the machinery "looks a bit like a sonic micro-field manipulator" Rose was actually pleased that she swotted up while having a soak in the bath earlier that evening.

"Brains and beauty" Tish muttered to Martha "how inferior do you feel around her?"

"Feel completely tiny round her" Martha admitted as Rose bounded off to look at the machinery closely. "But you'll like her once you get to know her"

Tish just sniffed and smiled when their mother and brother appeared by their side, Francine was half-way through lecturing Martha for leaving the party early when Rose appeared.

"Hello! I'm Rose Tyler, you must be Mrs Jones and Leo" she said politely.

"Yes" Francine said stiffly holding a hand out to Rose "and how do you know Martha?" she said admiring the blonde's strong grip.

"Met her at the hospital, we're planning on travelling round the world together. Has Martha told you?"

"No, no she didn't" Francine said glaring at Martha who was wondering if she could convince Rose to leave now.

Mrs Jones was about to interrogate the two girls further, but luckily for them, Mr Lazarus stepped up beside his device and began to talk.

"Ladies and gentlemen, I am professor Richard Lazarus and tonight I am going to perform a miracle" he said "It is I believe, the most important advance since Rutherford split the atom, the biggest leap since Armstrong stood on the moon. Tonight you will watch and wonder, but tomorrow, you will wake to a world which will be changed forever"

He turned away and opened the door of his device and stepped inside. Once he was inside he shut the door and the scientists that were on stand by began to start the device. It began to spin around and there was a blue light, which made everyone in the room turn away.

Suddenly an alarm sounded.

"Something's wrong" Rose muttered stating the obvious. "It's overloading" she ran to the controls and jumped over the table that they were on and took out the sonic screwdriver and began to stop the machine with it

"Somebody stop her" an old woman shouted "Get her away from those controls"

"If that goes up, it'll take the whole building up with it, is that what you want?" Martha snapped.

The woman never said anything else, she just allowed Rose to continue while glaring at Martha, Rose jumped back over the table and pulled out the power cable from the back of the controls and the machine began to slow down and then finally it stopped.

Martha ran to the doors and flung them open, smoke came pouring out and coughing could be heard. A hand suddenly came out from the smoke and grabbed hold of the door frame. Slowly a young blonde man stepped out of the machine.

"Ladies and gentlemen. I am Richard Lazarus. I am 76 years old and I am reborn"

Everyone clapped and cheered while Rose and Martha started in silence. Something was not right about this.

DWDWDWDWDWDWDWDW

Neither Rose or Martha liked Lazarus; there was something creepy about him. Rose kept having the nagging feeling that he was wrong. The man had both kissed them on the hand in thanks for trying to save them and Rose snuck into the laboratory to have a little peek at the man's DNA.

"Lazarus' DNA"

"I can't see anything different" Martha said crossing her arms.

"Look at it" Rose said waving at the screen. Martha looked at the screen and watched at the DNA changed, or rather fluctuated

"Oh, my God" Martha exclaimed "Did that just change?" she asked Rose. She nodded "But it can't have"

"But it did" Rose said

"It's impossible" Martha argued "That means that Lazarus changed his own molecular patterns"

"Hypersonic sound waves to destabilise the cell structure" Rose said as if she was reciting a book (Martha realised that she probably was) "Then a mutagenic program to manipulate the coding in the protein strands. Basically, he hacked into his genes and instructed them to rejuvenate"

"But they're still mutating now" Martha said

"Because he missed something" Rose said "Something in his DNA has been activated and it won't let him stabilise. Something that's trying to change him"

"Change him into what?" Martha asked.

"I don't know" Rose said biting her lip "But I think that we need to find out"

"That woman said they were going upstairs" Martha said.

"Let's go then" Rose said running off, dragging Martha behind her.

DWDWDWDWDWDWDWDW

"This is his office alright" Rose said as she entered first

"So where is he?" Martha asked.

"Don't know" Rose said "Let's try back at the... reception."

A look of pure shock appeared on Martha's face; Rose followed her eyes to the table. They could see a leg sticking out from behind it and the two of them walked towards it. When they reached it Rose thought that she would be sick, the skin had shrivelled up. The woman looked like she expected a mummy that had been dead for thousands of years to look like. Rose and Martha crouched beside the body

"Is that Lady Thaw?" Martha asked.

"Used to be" Rose said sadly "It's just a shell, she had all the life-energy drained out of her. Like squeezing the juice out of an orange"

"Lazarus!" Martha said

"Could be" Rose agreed

"So he's changed already?" Martha asked

"Not necessary. You saw the DNA. It was fluctuating. The process must demand energy" Rose paused and looked down at the remains of Lady Thaw. "This might not have been enough"

"So he might do this again?" Martha asked

The two looked at each other and both clicked on the same thought, that maybe, just maybe, that the people downstairs would be enough. They got up and ran to the lift, using the sonic screwdriver to get there quicker

"I can't see him" Martha said as she scanned the room, the moment she got in.

"Keep looking" Rose said "He can't be far"

They wandered round the room but was stopped by Leo who was standing by Lazarus' machine "You alright, Martha?" he asked she stopped and turned towards him as he continued "I think that mum wants to talk to you"

"Have you seen Lazarus anywhere?"

"He was getting pretty cosy with Tish a couple of minutes ago"

"With Tish?" Martha asked.

Martha's mother appeared beside her "Ah, Rose" she said as she stopped

"Where did they go?" Rose asked Leo with urgency in her voice. Martha's mother looked furious with Rose's insolence.

"Upstairs, I think" Leo answered "Why?"

Rose pushed past Martha's mother and accidentally spilled her drink all over her, Martha hot on her heels.

"Rose, Martha... I want a word with you two" Francine bellowed after them.

Martha turned to her mother "Not now, Mum" before she jumped into the lift with Rose.

"Where are they?" Martha asked as she stepped out of the lift.

Rose pulled out the sonic screwdriver and fiddled with it "The fluctuating DNA will give off an energy signature" she said "I might be able to pick it up." she slowly moved the sonic screwdriver round the room, she then moved it up towards the ceiling "Got him"

"Where?" asked Martha

"But this is the top floor" Rose said "The roof"

The two of them ran up the flight of stairs separating them from Martha's sister and Professor Lazarus.

Tish and Professor Lazarus were standing on the roof staring out at the London sky line. "That clock tower is beautiful, all lit up like that" Tish said

"It's Southwark Cathedral" said Lazarus "One of the oldest churches in London. It's been around even longer than I have"

"But you're looking pretty good for your age"

"Thank you"

"Can I?" Tish asked reaching out her hand as though to touch his face

"Of course" said Lazarus. Tish touched his cheek with the back of her right hand

"I still can't take it in" she said

"I'm still adjusting myself" he replied "I've been working towards it for so many years; it's hard to believe that the moment has finally arrived"

"And is it like you expected?" Tish had to asked

"I find nothing is exactly like you expect" he admitted "There's always something to surprise you.'between the idea and the reality, between the motion and the act..."

"falls the shadow" Rose finished, she knew Eliot rather well, the Doctor used to read it to her along with many other classics, she used to write his and her favourite quotes in scraps of paper and pinned them on a corkboard in the kitchen.

Lazarus turned around to see Rose standing in front of him "So, the mysterious blonde knows her Eliot. I'm impressed"

"Martha, what are you doing here?" Tish asked.

"Tish, get away from him" Martha said.

"What, don't tell me what to do" Tish said childishly.

"I wouldn't have thought that you'd have time for poetry Lazarus. What with you being so busy defying the laws of nature and everything" Rose said smiling.

"You're right Miss Tyler. One life time's been to short to do everything that I'd like. How much more I'd get done in two or three or four"

"It doesn't work like that" Rose said "Some people live more in 20 years than others do in 80. It's not the time that matters, it's the person"

"But if it's the right person, what a gift that would be" Lazarus said.

"Or what a curse" Rose said quietly remembering what the Doctor said 'the Curse of the Time Lords' so long ago. "Look at what you've done to yourself"

"Who are you to judge me?" Lazarus demanded.

"Over here Tish" Martha said holding her hand out to Tish.

"You have to spoil everything don't you? Every time I find someone nice, you have to find fault" Tosh whinged as she walked up to Martha, behind her Lazarus began mutating again

"Tish he's a monster" Rose said her envy of Martha having siblings gone when she realised what a pain in the backside they can be.

Tish turned to Rose "I know the age thing's a bit creepy, but it works for Catherine Zeta-Jones" Rose and Martha stared at the figure of professor Lazarus, he was writhing on the ground in pain. He changed before their eyes into a scorpion like creature.

"What is that?" Tish asked as Martha and Rose began to walk backwards away from the monster. She turned and saw Lazarus and screamed.

"Run!" Rose shouted.

The three of them ran back inside, Rose locking the door with the sonic screwdriver. "You're all right?" she asked Tish.

"I was going to snog him" Tish said

"Trust me Tish I've snogged worse" Rose said remembering a nasty incident on Clom. The Doctor's fault he was the one that had to get them arrested.

Suddenly there was a loud banging sound and the three of them looked up at the ceiling, knowing that Lazarus was trying to force his way back into the building. Then the building went dark.

"What's happening?" Rose asked turning to look at Tish

"Its an intrusion." she said "It triggers a security lock down. Kills most of the power. Stops the lifts, seals the doors off"

Rose looked back at the ceiling "he's going to barge in. run down the stairs, NOW!"

DWDWDWDWDWDWDWDW

After a very long winded game of cat and mouse where Rose played the part of the mouse for Lazarus while Martha was trying to override the security to get the guests out. And almost being turned into something like Lazarus when the pair got locked in his machine, the two women were very grateful that he was dead. The pair were now sitting on the stairs outside nursing their sore feet.

"Scratch the different planet, first thing we're going is a foot bath" Rose groaned "maybe I should take us to an alien spa"

"Sounds like heaven to me" Martha muttered.

Suddenly Francine Jones came marching up to the two of them, Rose smiled up at her "oh hello Mrs Jones, don't mind us we're just resting out feet" suddenly Francine reached out and slapped Rose.

Only to be slapped back.

"Mum! Rose!" Martha shouted.

"You slapped me!" Francine snarled at Rose.

"Only after you slapped me" Rose said "never let anyone push you around my mother told me, no one slaps a Tyler without getting slapped back"

"Wow, she's brave" Leo muttered to Tish "she's my new best friend" Tish bit her lip to stop her giggles.

"You stay away from my daughter!"

"It's my choice who my friends are Mum" Martha said glaring up at her mother.

"She's dangerous Martha! I've been told things and look around you death and destruction. Not the sort of girl you should be spending your time with!"

"That wasn't her fault! She saved us Mum!"

The two of them started to bicker, suddenly a loud crashing sound stopped them and everyone turned to look down the street. Rose began to run down, Martha following her.

"Martha get back here!" Francine bellowed. Tish paused for a moment before running off after the two women. "Latisha Jones get back here young lady!" Francine sighed and turned to Leo "at least you're a good boy"

Leo shrugged "nah I'm just too lazy to run with them, otherwise I would have joined in"

The three girls found the ambulance knocked on to it's side and the paramedics dried up like the many other victims. "Lazarus rose from the dead, what a surprise" Martha muttered.

"Where is he though?" Rose murmured pulling her sonic screwdriver out.

"You could always try Southwark Cathedral" Tish said "he kept talking about it earlier"

"Southwark Cathedral it is then" Rose said

DWDWDWDWDWDWDWDW

They found Lazarus huddled on the floor under a blanket, shivering. He turned to face them and Martha and Tish backed away slowly. "I came here almost a lifetime ago" he said "when I was a child. The sounds of planes and bombs outside"

"The Blitz" Rose said.

"You read about it?"

"I was there, hanging on one of those barrages, got saved by a handsome captain and then saved the world from mutating into gas masked zombies." Rose said smiling at the memory. "Danced to Glenn Miller that night"

"You're too young to be there" Lazarus said ignoring the gas masked zombie bit.

"So are you" Rose pointed out.

"In the morning, the fires had died, but I was still alive. I swore I'd never face death like that again, so defenceless. I would arm myself. Fight back." he said "Defeat it."

"That's what you were trying to do today?"

"That's what I did today."

"What about the other people who died?"

"They were nothing." said Lazarus, without any hint of guilt in his voice. "I changed history."

"Any one of them might have done, too." Rose said walking round so she was now in front of Lazarus "You think history's only made with equations?" he asked "Facing death is part of being human, you can't change that."

"No, Miss Tyler." argued Lazarus "Avoiding death, that's being human. It's our strongest impulse, to cling to life with every fibre of being. I'm only doing what everyone before me has tried to do. I've simply been more successful." he groaned in pain.

"Look at yourself." Rose shouted "You're mutating. You've got no control over it. You call that a success?"

"I call it progress." he groaned again "I'm more now than I was. More than just an ordinary human."

"There's no such thing as an ordinary human." Rose said "I should know, I've seen so many spectacular humans"

Martha stepped to Rose's side "he's going to change any minute"

"I know, but I reckon if you can get him on the top of the bell tower I could use the organ to change him"

"You're so sentimental Miss Tyler; maybe you're older than you look"

"Not really. I just travelled with a man who could live forever and he saw it as a curse. You end up watching your loved ones wither and die. It's not worth it"

Lazarus laughed "I will feed soon and you might be my next meal Miss Tyler"

"Leave her alone Lazarus" Martha shouted "she's sour and bitter. You would want someone sweet and tender"

"Very well the Jones' sisters will do"

"RUN!" Martha shrieked grabbing hold of Tish and running up the stairs as Lazarus changed and began to go after them.

DWDWDWDWDWDWDWDW

Martha pulled Rose into a tight hug, she had almost fallen to her death if it wasn't for Tish holding onto her and Rose terrible organ playing skills that helped killed Lazarus permanently this time.

"Where the hell did you learn to play like that?" Martha asked.

"Mum forced me to go to piano lessons they stopped after I slammed the lid on the teacher's fingers, she was a horrible person that smelled like garlic"

Tish and Martha laughed.

"well I better go" Tish said "Mum is so going to kill me" she hugged Martha and then to Rose's surprise Rose "take care of my sister please"

"I will" Rose promised.

Martha and Rose watched Tish run down the street in silence. At the same time they reached out and took one another's hand, it was just them against the universe. And the universe better watch out.


	9. 42

"hold on a minute" Rose said scrunching her nose up "I've never done this before, I might blow it up"

"Hold on a minute" Rose said scrunching her nose up "I've never done this before, I might blow it up"

"What!" Martha shrieked causing Rose to jump and almost drop Martha's precious mobile phone.

"Martha! I'm trying to do some serious jiggery-pokery here, something I only seen happen once and with you screaming I'm most likely to drop your phone than blow it up"

"Jiggery-pokery?" Martha raised an eyebrow.

"Funny enough that is a technical term, I checked, didn't believe the Doctor when he told me that line…"

"Did the Doctor do this to your phone?"

"Uhuh"

"So I'll be able to call anyone from anywhere from any when"

"Also it never runs out of battery and you never have need to top up your credit. A super phone indeed" Rose slipped the plastic backing back on the phone and handed it to Martha "there you go"

"Thanks" Martha said pocketing the phone in her uniform red leather jacket.

"Now!" Rose said flickering a couple switches "I was thinking we should go to Korchah they have the most gorgeous mineral springs, we can just rest and relax before running off to the next adventure" the Doctor took her there once, she had a good laugh seeing him in his swim suit before they had to run off and save the planet. She really has to stop thinking about him, he's never coming back.

Before Martha could reply the TARDIS shook violently sending the pair to the floor. A beeping, buzzing noise came from the console and Rose grabbed hold of the monitor. "Distress signal" she said "locking in, hold on" she pulled down a lever sending the two of them back onto the floor.

"Ouch" Martha whined rubbing her back as she stood up.

"Sorry about that, turbulence" Rose said smiling apologetically.

The two of them stepped outside to find themselves in a dark, hot room. A very hot room.

"Blimey it's like a sauna" Martha said practically ripping her jacket off before tying it round her waist.

Rose pulled open the door and sighed "it's a bit cooler out here" she called back. the two of them stepped out breathed in the slightly cooler air.

"Oi you two!"

Rose and Martha turned round to see three people; a woman and two men running down the corridor towards them.

"Get out of there!" the woman called urgently, leaping over a doorway.

"Seal the door, now!" one of the men ordered, as both men dashed past them. One of them slammed the door shut and the pair sighed.

"Who are you?" the woman asked panting, trying to catch her breath. "What are you doing on my ship?"

"Are you police?" the younger of the two men asked.

"Why would we be police?" Rose asked.

"There was a distress signal--" Martha started to explain.

"If this is a ship, why can't we hear any engines?" Rose interrupted.

The woman, hands on hips, looked away a moment. "It went dead 4 minutes ago."

"So maybe we should stop chatting and get to engineering," the older man said. "Captain," he raised his eyebrows at the woman.

An alarm started to whine.

"_Secure Closure. Active,"_ a recorded voice rang out around them.

"What?" the woman, the Captain of the ship, sounded exasperated.

"The ship's gone mad," the younger man threw his hands up.

"Who activated secure closure?" a voice cried from down the corridor.

Another woman was running toward them. She jumped through one of the doors as it slammed shut.

"I nearly got locked into area twenty-seven," she gave the others a slightly accusing look. She was young and wore mechanics overalls. She turned to see Rose and Martha "who are you two?" she asked.

"I'm Rose and this is Martha" Rose said giving them a mocking wave "want to tell me what's happening?"

"_Impact projection,"_ the recorded voice called, _"Forty two minutes, twenty-seven seconds."_

"Forty two minutes till what?" Martha asked.

"Till we crash into the sun of course!" the Captain snapped waving her hands into the air.

"How many are there on this ship?" Rose asked.

"Seven, all crew members" the Captain said.

"My ship is just through there" Rose said pointing to the door behind her. "I'll get you all out to safety" she turned round and released the seal of the door ignoring the crew's panicked cries only to have a face full of steam and stumble back. The older man reached out and slammed the door shut. "My ships in there!"

"You parked your ship in the ventilation" the younger guy said raising an eyebrow in disbelieve.

"It's our lifeboat" Rose said ignoring him.

"It's lava" the older guy muttered.

"The temperature is rising" the mechanic looking girl said reading the dial. "Three thousand and rising. The closer we get to the sun the higher it'll get"

"So if we fix the engines everything will be fine?" Rose asked. "Well show me the way"

"You're a mechanic?" the mechanic girl asked.

"Well no but I learnt some things when my ship needed to be fixed. All self learnt" Rose admitted.

"We're doomed" the younger guy muttered to the older man.

DWDWDWDWDWDWDWDW

Rose eyed up the controls with a frown "you're using an energy scoop? Aren't they supposed to be outlawed or something?"

"Yes well we haven't had the chance to dock and upgrade" the Captain said hurriedly "Scannell report!"

The older guy now identified as Scannell looked up from the controls "no response, everything is burnt out. I can't get them back online"

"Oh come on! Auxiliary engines! Everyone has those" Rose said pushing her back in frustration.

"We don't have access to them from here" the Captain said "auxiliary control is on the front of the ship"

"And twenty-nine password sealed doors between us an' them," Scannell added. "You'd never get there on time."

"Can we override them?" Rose asked.

"Can't they're deadlocked sealed" the Captain said.

"Damn! My sonic screwdriver is no use then"

"We're dead!" Scannell groaned "no engines, no time and no chance of surviving"

"Oh come on where's your spirit!" Rose protested "look who has these passwords?"

"They're randomly generated" the younger guy said "reckon I know most of them though. Sorry I'm Riley Vashti"

Riley moved to a wall, started taking down some equipment. "It's a two person job. One to take this for the questions," he strung a backpack over his shoulders. "The other, to carry this," he took down a weighty-looking clamp. "The oldest and cheapest security system around, hey Captain?" he winked.

"Reliant and simple, just like you eh Riley?" the Captain nodded.

"Try to be helpful, get abuse," he adjusted the straps on his shoulders. "Nice."

"I'll help," Martha stepped forward, grabbing the clamp. It was heavy, but not impossible.

Riley nodded to her and dashed for the door. Martha followed, clamp in both hands.

"Martha" Rose called.

Martha turned to face her.

"Be careful" Rose said quietly.

"You too" Martha replied before running off after Riley.

DWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDW

"All right," he muttered quietly, and then stepped away from the laptop like object, pointing at the clamp. "Press the clamp on the door!"

Martha did as she was told, pressing the clamp to the door. "What are you doing?"

Riley called over his shoulder as he went back to typing, tapping the screen occasionally as well. "Each door's trip code's the answer to a random question set by the crew," he grinned. "Nine turns back, we got drunk, thought them up, Reckoning was, if we're hijacked, we're the only ones who know all the answers."

"So you type in the right answer from there?" she prompted.

"This," he indicated the computer, "sends an unlock pulse to the clamp," he typed ferociously again, his eyes scanning the screen. "But we only get one chance per door," he turned a dial on the side of the box. "Get it wrong, the whole system freezes."

"Better not get it wrong then," Martha muttered.

"Okay," with triumph, Riley put his hands either side of the screen, and then read; 'Date of S.S. Pentallian's first flight?' That's all right," he typed the answer confidently.

Martha looked down at the clamp as there was a beeping noise, and the lights at the top of the clamp turned from red to green.

"Go!" Riley grabbed the laptop in his arms, pulling out the cables.

With a final longer beep, and a hiss of a seal breaking, the door opened.

"Yes!" Martha grinned, taking the weight of the clamp in her arms again.

Riley dashed past her. "Twenty eight more to go!"

Martha ran after him. Riley had the laptop already up on the platform and plugged in by the time Martha set the clamp in place.

Rose's voice came over the intercom. _"Martha, Riley, how you doing?"_

"Area twenty nine at the door to twenty eight," Martha called out, weighing the clamp against her legs as she held the handle and waited.

"_You've got to move faster!"_

"We're going as fast as we can," Martha called back gritting her teeth, she would like to see Rose try and do this.

Riley was reading from the screen again. "'Find the next number in the sequence. Three-one-three, three-three-one, three-six-seven.' What?" he gave Martha a panicked look.

Martha knew this would happen – they _had_ put the system in place when they were drinking. "You said the crew knew all the answers," she whispered.

"The crew's changed since we set the questions," Riley shrugged helplessly.

"You have _got_ to be kidding me," Martha rested her head against the door and sighed. What were they going to do?

"_Three-seven-nine,"_ Rose's voice sounded out over the intercom again.

"What?" Martha asked.

"_It's a sequence of happy primes. Three-seven-nine,"_ she repeated.

"Happy what?" Martha said looking confused.

"_Just enter it!"_

"Are you sure," Riley insisted. "We only get one chance."

"_Any number that reduces to one when you take the sum of the square of its digits, you continually trace it till it yields one is a happy number, any number that doesn't isn't, a happy prime is a number that's both happy and prime, now type it in!" _

Riley startled a little, did as he was told. The beeping sound came and the light flashed green. Martha exhaled slowly.

"How the hell did you know that?"

"_When you travel with the Doctor you're bound to pick something up. __Keep moving, fast as you can. And…Martha, be careful. There may be something else on board the ship."_

DWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDW

After a frantic phone call to her mother, Martha had found the answer about who had the more number ones the Beatles or Elvis? It was Elvis go figure, she ignored her mother and hung up.

Then they bumped into someone wearing a red helmet gasping out 'burn with me' repeatedly. They ran into an escape pod and got sent off heading to the sun. Martha phoned her mother again to say goodbye though she had believe that Rose would save her.

Martha squealed when she saw Rose and flung her arms round the blonde "I know you would do it! I told Riley, told him I believed in you" Rose let out a groan and instantly let go of Martha, stumbling away from her. "Rose?"

"Stay away!" Rose cried out, holding a hand out to ward Martha off. Sweat was running down her face quickly, it almost looked like she was crying.

"Rose what is it? What's wrong?" Martha asked getting panicked.

What's happened?"

Martha turned to see the Captain beside Riley.

"It's your fault, Kath McDonnell," Rose growled in a low voice that Martha never heard her use.

"Riley. Get down to area ten and help Scannell with the doors. Go!"

Martha tried to hold Rose who was thrashing and screaming, her eyes screwed up close. Martha never felt so useless in her life.

"You mined that sun," Rose screamed. "Scooped its surface for cheap fuel," she was breathing very quickly. "You should have scanned for life!"

"I don't understand," McDonnell said hurriedly.

"What do you mean?" Martha asked him.

Rose was withering and shuddering "the sun is alive!" she shrieked "and they scooped it's heart out" Martha looked at Captain McDonnell with disgust. "Used it for fuel and now it's screaming!"

"What do you mean, how can a sun be alive, why's she saying that?" McDonnell pleaded.

"Because it's living in me," Rose sobbed.

"Oh my god," Martha tried to help Rose who pushed her away.

"Humans!" she screamed. "You rob whatever's nearest and bleed it dry! I'm ashamed to have been human" she arched back, her head banging against the wall. Martha shuddered while trying to lift Rose's head back.

"You should have scanned!"

"It takes too long, we'd be caught," the Captain explained weakly. "Fusion scoops are illegal."

Rose leaned back and groaned. "Martha, you've got to freeze me - quickly."

"What?" she shook her head, placing a hand on Rose's head, pushing her hair that was sticking to her sweating forehead back with her thumb.

"Stasis chamber," Rose murmured.

Martha nodded.

"Gotta keep it below minus two hundred," Rose continued panting a bit. "Freeze it out of me!" she cried, lurching forward.

Martha grabbed a hold of Rose, trying to make her stand.

"It'll use me to kill you if you don't," Rose managed, a hand on the wall as Martha pulled her to her feet. "The closer we get to the sun, the stronger it –!" she stopped, screaming again. "Med centre! Quickly! Quickly!"

"Help me!" Martha called to the mortified Captain.

The Captain nodded, shaking herself and grabbing Rose's other arm. They hurried to the med centre.

"_Impact in seven, thirty." _

DWDWDWDWDWDWDWDW

Rose was whimpering as she was laid down in the stasis chamber, Martha was beginning to tap in the code that McDonnell gave to her when Rose called out "Martha, Martha where are you?"

"I'm here sweetheart" Martha said softly, reaching out to hold one of Rose's sweaty hands.

"Remember, ten seconds minus two hundred" Rose gasped out before letting go of Martha's hand "I'm scared Martha, I'm going to die"

"No you're not" Martha said soothingly.

"Then I'll regenerate and I'll no longer look the same"

"Rose you got to believe in me, like I believe in you"

"The Doctor believed in me once and look where that got him" Rose whispered before screaming "it's burning me up! I can't control it! If you don't get rid of it I could kill you, kill you all! Please Martha do it now!"

"I will" Martha quickly typed in the rest of the code, her finger pausing at the enter key.

"NOW!"

She hit the enter key hard and closed her eyes shut as Rose screamed and screamed painfully. At minus seventy, the screen switched itself off. There was a hum in the air, a powering down noise.

"No," Rose called tiredly from the stasis chamber. "Martha you can't stop it, not yet."

"What's happened?" Martha rushed to the panel, then looked back at McDonnell questioningly.

"Power's been cut in engineering," she replied quietly.

"Why?" Martha yelled at her.

McDonnell didn't seem to hear her, her eyes on the door. "Leave it to me," she dashed off.

Martha turned back to the keypad. It made noises, but nothing was working, the screen was blank. She could hear Rose moaning in the chamber, muttering words she could barely understand.

"Martha, listen," she gasped suddenly, "I've only got a moment, and you've got to go. Get to the front," she explained. "Vent the engines. The sun particles in the fuel, get rid of them."

"I am not leaving you," Martha snapped, pressing the keypad buttons in effort to get the system started again.

"You've got to! Give back what they took! Please, go!" Rose screamed.

"I'm coming straight back for you, got it?"

DWDWDWDWDWDWDWDW

"_Impact in four, oh-eight." _

Martha ran the length of the ship, leaping over each doorway. The intercom was getting another workout, as she ran. McDonnell, saying she was sorry. The ship, reporting that the exterior airlock was open. Scannell calling McDonnell's name in question.

Martha didn't stop running. She knew, somewhere on the ship, McDonnell had just said goodbye.

She leaped over another doorway into area four.

"_Martha."_

Rose's voice on the intercom made her stop in her tracks.

"Rose what are you doing?" she shouted.

"_I can't fight it,"_ Rose roared. _"Give it back! Burn with me, Martha Jones."_

"_Life support systems reaching critical. Repeat, life support systems reaching critical. Impact in one, oh-six. Collision alert. Collision alert."_

"It's not working!" Riley shouted. "Why's it not working?"

She leaped into the room. "Vent the engines. Dump the fuel!" she called.

"What?" Scannell fired.

"There's sun particles in the fuel, get rid of them," Martha ordered. "Do it! Now!"

Riley and Scannell jumped into action, running down the length of the engines, turning knobs. The ship's running commentary reported a fuel dump was in progress. Martha wrapped her arms around a railing as the ship was thrown around.

"_Impact averted. Impact averted." _

Martha sighed in relief while Riley and Scannell hugged each other and laughed.

"Oh could I have a hug?"

Martha turned to see Rose leaning against the doorframe and flung her arms round the blonde.

"Thank you Martha" Rose said into her shoulder "you saved me"

"Just doing my job" Martha replied.

DWDWDWDWDWDWDWDW

Rose tried to hide it but she was sure she wasn't fooling Martha. Having the sun posses her had affected her, the burning feeling was so familiar. The only difference was that something was ravaging through her mind while that other time she simply could see…everything.

However she put on a false smile and handed Martha a key to the TARDIS welcoming the woman on board properly and decided to celebrate with some margaritas…not that they had the same effect on her as they did before but it was still fun.


	10. Return to Human Nature

They barely dodged the green laser before the TARDIS door slammed shut

_They barely dodged the green laser before the TARDIS door slammed shut. Rose began to frantically press buttons and flick switches, Martha slumped against the railings breathing frantically. Suddenly there's a beeping noise. _

"_Crap! They're following us" Rose said. _

"_What! But how?"_

"_I don't know! They probably nicked a vortex manipulator. They could follow us anywhere. Right across the universe, never stopping…unless…"_

"_Unless?"_

"_Martha you trust me right?"_

"_With my life!"_

"_Because this all depends on you"_

"_What does?"_

_Rose walked away from the console and stared at something in the corner. "These creatures are hunters" she said quietly. "They can sniff out anyone and with me being a Time Lady…well I'm unique aren't I? They can track us down throughout all of time and space"_

"_Can't we hide from them?"_

"_That is exactly what we'll do Martha, for three months that's how long they got left"_

"_But where is it safe? You just said they can find you anywhere!"_

"_Only if I'm a Time Lady…looks like I'm going to have to be human again"_

She woke up with a gasp. Once again she had one of those strange dreams that haunt her. She exhaled slowly and stretched out like a cat. She sat up and ran a hand through her hair before getting off the bed. As she reached out for her dressing gown the door flew open.

"Oh sorry Ma'am you are not ready"

She turned round to see her maid looking away. "Martha, honestly it's all right. We're all women here and it's not like I'm naked!"

Martha looked back at Rose; it wasn't that she never saw Rose in her bed clothes or anything she was just so unsure how to act round someone who doesn't remember who she was. When she looked at this woman she wasn't seeing Rose Tyler the most incredible woman in all of time and space, no she was seeing Marion Smith the first ever female teacher in the all boys' school in a little village in Framingham.

Marion smiled at her softly as if she was one of the younger boys in her class; Martha instantly blushed and placed the breakfast tray down on the table. "Your breakfast Ma'am"

"Please Martha I have asked you enough times to call me Marion, now sit down and have a cup of tea" Marion Smith said impatiently. It had become a morning ritual where Martha and Marion would share a cup to tea together before the actual day started. Rose did warn Martha that there'll be residual attachment and Marion will probably befriend her. "I've been having this weird dreams Martha"

"Oh?"

"I dream that I'm this adventurer, this wild child, this daredevil, I call her Rose Tyler" Marion stood up and reached out and picked something on the fireplace mantel. "And this watch, this watch it was…oh I can't remember now but it was important" she put it back on the mantel and sat back down on the small sofa. "You were in them"

"Was I Ma'am?"

"Yes you were my companion, my best friend. You and I were from the same future the year 2007"

Martha pulled the newspaper off of the trolley and opened it up for Marion "well you can see that the date is November the tenth 1913"

DWDWDWDWDWDWDWDW

Marion strolled down the hallway to her class, dreaming. She hadn't been completely honest with Martha, in her dreams there was always a man, a handsome man, a charming man, the man of her dreams you could say. He was like Rose completely wild, he was called the Doctor.

"Morning Miss Smith" one of the students called out.

"Morning" she called back smiling. When she first started she had been worried that she would not earn any respect from the students and teachers, now the only people that gave her grieve due to her being a woman was Baines and Hutchinson.

She walked past the two maids who were kneeling on the floor while washing it.

"Good Morning Miss Smith" Martha called out cheerfully.

"Good Morning Martha, Jenny" Marion replied smiling down at them before she turned to go up the stairs.

"Lovely woman she is" Jenny commented "you would think that most women like her wouldn't even look at us let alone bid us good morning"

"Yes well I think it's safe to say that Marion Smith is ahead of her time" Martha said.

"What a modern woman should be, practical but kind to everyone" Jenny agreed.

"Now then you two, you're not paid to have fun" one of the elder boys snapped.

"Yes sir" Martha murmured going back to cleaning the floor in silence, only twenty days left of this and she could go far away and never have to clean a floor again.

DWDWDWDWDWDWDWDW

Martha cycled slowly towards the shed that was hidden behind some trees far out of the village, she slipped in and beamed up at the blue box that she had been living in for a few months before this incident started. She pulled off the chain round her neck which held the key to the TARDIS and unlocked the door.

"Hello" she murmured stroking the rail, she then snorted in disbelief "can't believe I've been driven to this, talking to a machine" for a moment she swore the TARDIS let out an angry rumble but dismissed it as her imagination.

She sat herself down and played the video that was one the console screen, she forward it and rewinded it repeatedly trying to find what she was looking for.

"_And Martha? Thank you, thank you so much. I don't know where I'll be without you"_

"But what if you remember by yourself!" Martha shouted at the screen "what if you have dreams?"

No reply came and Martha let out a frustrated groan.

DWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDW

Marion was stumbling along the corridor trying to balance a large pile of books that was obscuring her sight. She couldn't see a thing ahead of her and had almost bumped into a couple students who were no help at all, the unhelpful brats! She carried on stumbling along when she heard someone cry out.

"Miss Smith mind the stairs!"

But it was too late, suddenly she stepped onto nothing and fell tumbling down the stairs, the books thrown everywhere and just before everything went dark Marion cursed those unhelpful brats one last time.

DWDWDWDWDWDWDWDW

Martha burst through the door without knocking "I just heard! Is she ok?" she asked.

The Headmaster turned to stare at her in a disgusted disapproval. "Mary it is inappropriate to burst in like a savage in your mistress's room. You should knock and use appropriate language when asking one's health"

"Oh pish, posh" Martha could hear Marion say "Headmaster _Martha _was only concerned about my health, you must take pride in having such caring servants most won't even bother to ask about one's health let alone show so much concern"

"Even so Miss Smith, one should not blunder into a room in such a manner" the Headmaster said stepping away to reveal Marion propped up by some pillows on her bed. "The doctor should be here soon, I did send Latmir to fetch him."

"Headmaster I am fine, I just took a fall" Marion said smiling.

"Miss Smith, you were unconscious for about twenty minutes and it took one of my strongest boys to carry you to your room and another two to carry that monstrous pile of books of yours"

"Yes well I'm fine now" Marion argued, her cheeks turning pink in embarrassment. Martha bit her lip from sniggering; oh she can't wait for this to be over. Rose will never live this one down.

"Well you're not getting up until the doctor has checked you over" the Headmaster said firmly "oh why did Matron Redfern had to take this week off to visit her son, we could have used her medical knowledge right about now"

Martha was itching to go over to Marion's side and check for concussion but she had the feeling if she stepped out of line the Headmaster would throw her out of the room. Marion Smith was a prize to the Headmaster, she was an intelligent woman who was brilliant at teaching and she made the school look so much better. Marion was the winning card to lure more students into his school, it made Martha sick and she was rather glad that they were leaving soon, away from that man.

There was a knock on the door.

"Martha would you get that for me please?" Marion asked pulling Martha out of her thoughts.

"Yes Ma'am" Martha said dipping slightly before turning to answer the door, when she had answered there was a tall., dark, handsome man and a small blonde boy.

"I'm Dr James McDonald" he said in a thick Scottish accent "this wee lad here said something about an injured woman"

"I keep telling everyone that I'm fine!" Marion said "I just took a tumble down the stairs"

"I shall be the judge of that Miss Smith" Dr McDonald said settling his bag on the table and opening it.

"I best leave, I have work to do" the Headmaster said "I hope you come to my office with a full report on her health Dr McDonald, I need to know if she's capable of working."

"I shall give you one as soon as I finish me examination" Dr McDonald said dismissively.

"Come along now Mary and Latmir, leave the doctor to his work" the Headmaster said herding Martha and the blonde boy out of the room before shutting the door.

"Pompous man" Dr McDonald muttered under his breath.

Marion giggled "yes I never liked him very much either. He always calls poor Martha Mary, it annoys me so much" she winced when Dr McDonald touched a sore part of her head.

"Well it seems that you have no concussion" he said "however you have a nasty cut here and I'll be needing to clean that up. The boy said you walked right off the stairs"

"I was carrying a very large pile of books that obscured my view of what was ahead" Marion sniffed.

"Sure you were" Dr McDonald said teasingly. "But I am used to having beautiful woman do foolish things just to get my attention"

"Why…why…you…you" Marion stuttered at the boldness and cheekiness of the mans sentence.

"Is that all you can do Miss Smith, stutter at me?" Dr McDonald asked raising an eyebrow.

"I'm in half the right mind to give you a slap for cheek!" Marion said hotly.

"So you are the fiery type, good I like that in a woman"

Marion's cheeks were now stained scarlet. "You are far too bold" she said flatly.

"Maybe I just forgot to guard my tongue when I'm around such a beauty" Dr McDonald countered back "don't you ever let go? Just for a second"

"I do when I dream" Marion said softly.

"And what do you dream about?"

"Sometimes I dream about having two hearts" she whispered.

Dr McDonald pulled out a stethoscope and put it on, he reached out and listened to her heart and then moved to the other side, and he heard nothing. "Only one here" he murmured.

Marion rose up from the bed and walked to her desk, she pulled out a leather bound journal and passed it to Dr McDonald "I wrote them down, these dreams. They're so real, so unbelievable. I call it the Diary of an Impossible Girl"

Dr McDonald opened the journal and slowly turned the pages over, reading little bits. They're was a drawing of herself but younger, eyes outlined thickly. There was a picture of a woman who looked like herself _Jackie Tyler, mother, hairdresser and slap extraordinaire. _Was scrawled on the top, a few other words were there but he skipped them. A picture of a black man holding a large gun was next _Mickey the Idiot, Best Friend, Mechanic and Tin Dog. _Another page showed some sort of console _TARDIS, home, fantastic. _Another of a man in military clothing _Captain Jack, the constant flirt, brother figure. _Two men, one that looked older in his forties with big ears and one that had wild hair and a friendly grin _the Doctor, changes his face, always running never looks back, forever. _

"Got an eye for handsome men" Dr McDonald teased.

She avoided his eye "they're friends" she muttered. "Sometimes I wish that life was real"

"Yes if only" Dr McDonald agreed staring at Marion; he then snapped the book shut "right then I'll tell the Headmaster you're fine and healthy to teach. Good Day Miss Smith"

"Good Day Dr McDonald"

DWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDW

The three of them stumbled down the lane giggling. They shouldn't be doing this, it was seen wrong for three unaccompanied women to drink till they're drunk and then walk home. But they wanted to let their hair loose and have a little freedom.

"Cor Dr McDonald, what a handsome man" Jenny said giggling. "Far nicer to look at than Matron Redfern"

"Matron Redfern is a stuck up cow" Marion blurted out causing Martha and Jenny to giggle "seriously, she told me that it was wrong to be friends with servants"

"She's just jealous!" Martha slurred slightly "because you're young and pretty and the favourite while she's isn't"

Suddenly there was a green flash in the sky as meteors fell down.

"Woooooooooooooooooow" Jenny said dazedly.

"Beautiful" Marion murmured sobering up slightly.

"Look, I think it landed just over that field!" Martha cried out "we should run after it"

"Oh I don't think so"

The girls screamed when they heard a male's voice behind them and they turned quickly to see Dr McDonald standing there.

"It most likely landed far away, in the channel or something." He continued.

"What are you doing here?" Marion asked.

"I saw you three ladies down in the pub and I thought it was best to supervise you back. God knows what trouble you three would get into"

"We don't need anyone to look after us, especially me!" Marion snapped, tripping on a stray root and falling backwards.

Dr McDonald reached out and caught her "I beg to differ; you're a woman who's headstrong and has pride. Someone who won't admit to walking off the stairs this morning. You know drinking after a head injury is most likely to kill you. I will walk you home"

One they reached the school grounds and the two servant girls walked away, Marion turned to look at Dr McDonald.

"I thank you Dr McDonald"

"Call me James"

"That would be inappropriate Dr McDonald"

"It wouldn't if I courted you"

"You wish…to court me?"

"Very much so, Miss Smith you fascinate me. I have never seen such a headstrong and bold woman who is unafraid of what people think of her. I wish to court you, may I?"

"You may"

"Then I shall start tomorrow, expect me to turn up magically"

DWDWDWDWDWDWDWDW

Marion silently cursed alcohol as she taught with a massive headache. Her dreams were just as vivid as before only about even more wilder nights with dancing in flashing lights and such short clothes. She called back Timothy Latmir and took him to her rooms for some books she thought he would be interested in and for a little chat.

"You see Timothy I think you have the potential to be the very best but for some reason you're holding back" she said softly. "Is there something wrong?"

"No Ma'am" he mumbled looking down at his feet.

She went away looking for those books when he heard the whispers. He went up to the mantle and saw it, a silver fob watch with swirly designs; he reached out and picked it up.

_Timothy, Time Lady, Martha, Bad Wolf, Doctor_

He saw images of his history teacher wearing trousers and a hoodie with her eyes glowing gold, swinging down on a chain, facing monsters, dancing midair and so much more. He gasped.

_My name is Rose Tyler _

The watch could talk to him; she was mentally shaking his hand. She would be his friend.

_Yes I would, protect me and I will protect you. _

He pocketed the watch.

DWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDW

Marion stood there beside the Headmaster overseeing the missile target lesson, wincing each time. She remembered her fiancée John Smith who died in a battle, she hated this. She looked down at Timothy in concern when he gasped and ruined Hutchinson's attempt.

"May I have the permission to beat him?" Hutchinson said glaring down at the boy.

"You may" the Headmaster said. Marion watched in anger as Hutchinson dragged Timothy away. She felt the Headmaster place a hand on her shoulder "now, now Miss Smith the boy needs to learn. Is that Dr McDonald I see over there?"

She turned round while shrugging the Headmaster's hand of her shoulder to see James McDonald standing by the gates, she strolled towards him head up high.

"Yes Dr McDonald" she said curtly.

"I thought I told you to call me James Marion"

"And I don't recall allowing you to call me Marion just yet Dr McDonald" she shot back.

He chuckled "I thought I would take you for a walk round the village, are you free?"

"The Headmaster is distracted by allowing beatings on innocent children so I expect so" she said.

He chuckled "I knew you were the type to be against this sort of thing. It is good you know, teaches them discipline, prepares them for war"

"I had a fiancée who died in a battle so excuse me for not supporting this"

"Blimey he must have been a brave man and a fool" James said.

"Pardon?"

"Brave to fight for your hand and a fool to leave you for war" James elaborated; he picked up her hand and pressed a kiss on her knuckles. "Please walk with me"

"Yes, yes I will"

DWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDW

Timothy cowered in the corner as Hutchinson raised his hand up high to hit him when suddenly there was a growl and a warm feeling in his pocket and Hutchinson was backing away.

"wh-wh-what was that?" he gasped.

"I don't know what you mean" Timothy said slipping his hand in his pocket and stroking the watch in it.

_No one hurts you, I will protect you. _

DWDWDWDWDWDWDWDW

"You are the most fantastic woman that I have ever met!" James exclaimed from his sitting position on the sofa "no one should have been able to save that baby like you did!"

"Sit still! I can't complete this drawing if you're bouncing up and down all the time" Marion said blushing. She bent over and finished off the last few strokes of a pencil, she held up the drawing "what do you think?"

"It's brilliant" James said looking awed "you are a woman of many talents. Marion…will you do me the honour of going to the village dance with me?"

"I would be honoured too"

Suddenly he leaned down and kissed her.

They didn't hear the gasp nor did they see the maid shutting the door quickly.

DWDWDWDWDWDWDWDW

"_And Martha? Thank you, thank you so much. I don't know where I'll be without you"_

"But what about falling in love?" Martha wailed "how am I supposed to stop you from suffering a broken heart!"

There was no reply, Martha let out a frustrated screech and picked up the sonic screwdriver, tonight she was going to have to wake Rose up before this went too far.

DWDWDWDWDWDWDW

Of course it went wrong. The watch was missing; Marion didn't believe her and Dr McDonald advised her to take a holiday before they went to the dance. Then it turns out that Jenny has been taken over by the Family and she is running as fast as she can barely dodging the green laser beam.

She cornered Dr McDonald and showed him the sonic screwdriver.

"Please if you love her you will help me" she said. "The universe needs her and she's in danger"

"I have read that journal" he hissed "she would be in danger if she opened the watch. She wouldn't be the woman I loved, let me have her"

"We need her"

"You need her. But I need her even more and I love her"

Dr McDonald won't help and suddenly the Family is crashing through and the next thing Martha knew they had her at gun point with Dr McDonald.

"Tell me Bad Wolf, has being human made you richer? Wiser? Did you learn anything at all? Tell us who to kill, your companion or your lover?"


	11. Family of Blood

Previously:

**Previously:**

"_Tell me Bad Wolf, has being human made you richer? Wiser? Did you learn anything at all? Tell us who to kill, your companion or your lover?"_

Marion kept looking at Martha and James, she was speechless. It was just dreams, just a story, it isn't true and now she has to decide between her best friend and the man she loved.

Timothy pulled out the watch which was furious, shouting to protect everyone, he opened it and golden light flew up. It distracted the family giving Martha enough time to grab hold of Jenny's arms and spin her round to hold her back, grabbing the blaster to hold at her head.

"One more move" Martha snarled "and I'll shoot"

"The maid is comfortable with a gun" Baines jeered "wait no, she is not. I can smell the fear"

Martha moved the blaster and aimed it in Marion's direction "shoot him and I'll shoot her" she said "and then what would you do?"

"You would not shoot your precious Rose, your magnificent Bad Wolf" Baines sneered though the flicker of fear in his eyes gave him away.

"No I wouldn't but that's not her, that's Marion Smith a human" Martha said she felt a stray tear roll down her cheek. "I'll do it! I swear I will" Baines dropped the blaster and let James go, James ran to Marion's side and she pulled him into a hug. "Right everyone get out of here!" Martha shouted.

No one moved.

"Get out now before they try and kill you too!" That got people moving, everyone began to run as fast as they could. Everyone but Marion and James. "Marion, go just go"

"I'm not leaving you Martha, you're my friend" Marion said.

"Dr McDonald get her out of here" Martha said to James.

He scooped Marion up and slung her over his shoulder and walked out. Martha could hear Marion's protests and shouts; she also suspected that Marion was kicking James repeatedly. She held the blaster tightly and kept it trained on the Family.

"What happened to them? Mr Clarke, Jenny, Baines and little Lucy? What have you done to them?" she whispered.

"They have been consumed" Jenny said smirking.

"Gone forever, dead as a doornail" Lucy giggled.

"Get the gun" Mr Clarke ordered.

Martha turned round and ran as fast as she could ducking and dodging the scarecrows, her breath coming out in short puffs and she ran and ran. The Family were far behind her but she wouldn't put it past them to chase after her.

DWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDW

James didn't put Marion down till they were in the school; he then reached out and began to ring the bell wildly.

"ATTACK! WE'RE UNDER ATTACK, EVERYONE GET READY!"

"James what are you doing!" Marion hissed "those scarecrows are not of this world, you're sending the boys out to die!"

"If it means we can protect you and the rest of the village I don't care" James said furiously before going back to ringing the bell "SHAKE A LEG BOYS WE HAVE TO DEFEND OUR SCHOOL AND VILLAGE!"

Marion closed her eyes and took slow breaths, counting to ten. She could hear the thundering footsteps of the boys preparing for battle and she couldn't stand the idea of any of them getting hurt or worse dying.

"Let them have me if it means we can protect the boys" she pleaded with James.

"No, I'm not about to lose you" James said "you told me about you losing a fiancée in battle well I lost mine to a murderer, I'm not going to lose you to those murdering cowards"

Marion let out a frustrated groan and pulled her hair out of its bun, there was nothing she could do to prevent this from happening.

DWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDW

Timothy cowered in an alcove near the library while he heard everyone prepare to fight those monsters; he clutched on the watch tightly "what am I supposed to do?"

_Beware _

"Beware of what?"

_Of her _

He looked up sharply to see Lucy Cartwright holding her red balloon staring at him coldly; he knew that she was no longer the friendly girl who lived in the village.

"What have you got there?" she asked.

"Nothing"

"Show me little boy" she demanded.

Little boy? Well he'll show her he silently huffed "you're one to talk, you may be a big scary alien on the inside but on the outside you're nothing but a little girl and does she really want to see this?" he opened the watch and golden light shot out and a wolf howl could be heard. The girl screamed before running away.

He leaned back and sighed.

_Find Martha and free me, we must save these people. _

He got up to follow Rose's orders.

DWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDW

Martha found Marion sitting in the store room resting her head against the wall.

"We got to find the watch and open it. We need Rose" she said instantly.

"Why? Why can't you go and find someone else to be your Rose?" Marion said "why can't you leave me in peace Martha? They're just stories"

"because whether you like it or not you are Rose Tyler, you are a Time Lady, you are my best friend and you do live in a time machine disguised as a blue box" Martha said grabbing hold of Marion's shoulders "now stop being ridiculous and lets find that bloody watch"

"NO!" Marion pulled away and walked to the other side of the room "those boys are going to die Martha all over some silly story. I just want to live a peaceful life. You're dismissed; I no longer want you in my sight after tonight"

Timothy suddenly burst in "there you are!" he exclaimed "Miss Smith you have to open this watch, you must be Rose Tyler" he held out a silver fob watch that caused Martha to gasp and sigh in relief.

"Oh not you too Timothy, can't you tell that this is all one big hoax? They're just messing with our minds, starting a war over nothing"

"Please you have to open it" Timothy said.

"I will not!" Marion stormed out of the room, head up high as she marched towards the front where the boys were fighting the scarecrows.

DWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDW

"Wooooooooooooooolf oh wooooooooooooooolf, come here girl, over here, be a good wolf for once"

Marion inwardly shuddered at the sickening patronizing tone Mr Clarke was using; she could see James's jaw leap in fury and his knuckles gone white as he held his hands in tight fists.

"Come over here and claim your prize" Mr Clarke shouted. Marion peered round the door and she inhaled sharply, there stood the blue box of her dreams.

"That's the TARDIS" she could hear Martha say behind her.

"It's just a blue box!" James said in disbelieve.

"Bigger on the inside" Martha said. "We need to get out of here, quickly"

She felt James and Martha pull her away and she could hear Timothy jog beside them as they slipped out round the back and into the forest. She felt like a coward.

DWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDW

They were huddled up in an abandoned cottage while James stoked a fire. Martha stared at Marion who wouldn't look at anyone while Timothy seemed to be whispering a caressing the fob watch.

"You make her sound like some sort of romantic lost princess" Marion said suddenly "as if she was Sleeping Beauty and Cleopatra put together"

"She's not like that" Martha said "not like that at all. You have to open the watch"

"Why are you doing this to me?" Marion asked tearfully "have I not been a good mistress? Was I not a friend? Why are you torturing me with this fairy tale?"

"You are the best of friends especially when you are Rose" Martha said "she is my best friend and I adore her, please give her back to me"

"She is as fantastic as she seems" Timothy spoke up "she is fierce and loyal, a true pack member, an alpha. She is like fire and ice, she is life and death, the sun and the moon…she is literally everything Rose Tyler shop girl and Bad Wolf"

"Stop it! Stop it, stop it STOP IT!" Marion shrieked tears falling down fast on her face.

Timothy held the watch out to her "just hold it" he said.

Her hand shook as she reached out and took the watch "she's asleep" she hissed "waiting to awaken"

"Why did she speak to me?" Timothy asked.

"Oh low telepathic field, you were born with it-" she gasped "is that how she speaks?"

"Half the time, the other half she's like any normal girl" Martha said half-laughing. "Now all you have to do is open it"

Marion glared at Martha, "you watched me fall in love with my work, with my boys and with James knowing full well that in three months time I had to open the watch! And you call yourself my friend!"

"I didn't know how to stop you! She gave me a list but love wasn't on it!" Martha protested.

"Falling in love? That never occurred to her?"

Martha shook her head "she's in love with this bloke, this man called the Doctor but he's gone and she never thought of anyone else that could take his place"

"So it is your job to execute me" Marion said. James walked over to her and placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. She held the watch up at Martha "I shall give them this and they can have her!"

"NO!" Martha and Timothy bellowed.

"Why not? If they want Rose Tyler then they can have her"

"It won't work Marion, if they consume a Time Lord, they'll live forever. They will take over the universe, breeding and killing everything else all across the stars."

Marion stood there in silence avoiding looking at everyone.

"Martha, Timothy why don't you wait outside while I have a little chat with Marion here" James said.

Martha nodded and herded Timothy out.

DWDWDWDWDWDWDWDW

There was an explosion not so far and Timothy flinched remembering his vision, Martha placed a comforting hand on his shoulder and he was bombarded of flashes; _the geeky loner in school, the outgoing collage student, the peacemaker in the family, meeting Rose, Shakespeare, the future, moments of running from crazed aliens, a man who can hear the drums playing in his mind, a year that never will be, Tom Milligan – _

They cut off when she takes her hand off of his shoulder and kneel beside him "are you all right?"

"Yes Martha, I am fine. I was just thinking of all the damage these creatures are causing to the village" he lied smoothly; he couldn't tell her that he saw her future.

"Don't worry she'll open the watch and stop them" Martha said trying to convince herself as well as Timothy.

DWDWDWDWDWDWDWDW

"Marion" James said "you should open the watch"

"No, I refuse to!"

James reached out and cupped her face "the world needs her, earlier I told Martha that I needed you more…but that was a lie"

Marion reached out and grabbed hold of James's lapels hauling him down to her level as she began to kiss him thoroughly; she broke away gasping "is this a lie?"

"No…what I meant was, the world needs her more than I do, I just didn't realise"

"I love you"

"And I love you too"

He wrapped a hand round the one that held the watch and they simultaneously gasp when flashes of their possible life came to them; _a wedding, birth of their son his name Jack, the birth of their daughter Andrea, walking down the streets hand in hand, growing old and dying. _

"that is our life" Marion said breathlessly "we can have that"

"No we can't, not really" James said sadly.

"I just want to be Marion Smith with her job and her life and her love" Marion sobbed "can't I be her? Isn't she a good woman?"

"She's the best, the very best" James said kissing every inch of her face "please, open the watch Mari"

She pulled away and glanced at the silver watch, her fingers tracing the clasp; she met his eyes and knew what she had to do.

DWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDW

"Blast them into dust! Fuse the dust into glass and then shatter them all over again!" Baines shouted.

Clarke laughed beside him then he sniffed, the Family sniffed along with him when they caught the new scent, Marion Smith tripped over her dress and landed on the controls.

"Just stop the bombardment and I'll do anything you want. Just stop." She said tearfully "don't hurt anymore of my boys"

"Say please." Baines said.

"Please" Marion pleased.

Jenny took a deep sniff "wait Son of Mine she is still human"

"I can't protect them, I know that. Not for a moment," Marion pulled out the watch and held it out for them to see, "This is how he did it. Took all the alien and put it in here," she swallowed, "I'm innocent in all this! She made me Marion Smith."

Marion once again tripped over the hem of her dress and pushed down some more switches. Jenny rolled her eyes while the other three sniggered.

"She didn't just make herself human, she made herself an idiot." Jenny said.

"Same thing isn't it." Baines said.

"I don't care about this Rose Wolf person so here take the watch. It's what you need, take it and leave." Marion said stepping closer to the them holding out the watch.

Baines stepped forward and took the watch from her, turning it over in awe, "All that she is in this small device, hidden and locked away," he smiled and sighed, "At last." Grabbing Marion he shoved her back against the wall and hissed, "Don't think that saved your life."

Marion reached out and fumbled for one of the levers pushing it down.

"Family of Mine, now we shall have the lives of a Time Lord." Baines flipped the watch open and breathed deeply with his family, but nothing happened. The slow ticking of the watch, mocked him for a moment, "It's empty!"

"Where's she gone?" Marion asked trembling.

"You tell me." Baines snarled throwing the watch at her.

Rose caught the watch swiftly, a smirk growing on her face. She toyed with the watch for a while before looking up slyly beneath her fringe.

"Oh I think the explanation might be that you've been fooled by a minor olfactory misdirection, little bit ventriloquism of the nose. It's an elementary trick known across the galaxy, but it has got to be said, I don't like the hydro-cenometer."

The Family turned to look at her in confusion, but she ignored them and pointed to the power lines, "It seems to be indicated that you've got energy feedback all the way through the retro stabilizers and back," she tapped a large metal column, "into the primary heat converter."

She looked at the Family, noting their worried expressions with a dark satisfaction and found her smirk growing.

"If there is one thing you shouldn't have done, you shouldn't have let me push all those buttons. I will give you one word of advice. Run!"

DWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDW

_She wrapped my father in unbreakable chains forged in a dwarf star, tricked my mother into a collapse of a rising galaxy prisoned there…forever. She still visits my sister, once a year, every year, I wonder if one day she might forgive her. She trapped her inside a mirror, every mirror. Every time you look at your reflection and you see something move behind you, just for a second, that's her, that's all her. As for me I was suspended in time and she put me to work, standing in the fields of England over watching them._

_We wanted to live forever._

_And she, Rose Tyler made sure we did. _

DWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDW

She stood there at the doorway of the cottage in alien like clothes. A pair of black trousers and a pale blue jacket, he hated the sight of his Marion in men's clothing with her hair straightened and her eyes outlined with black ink. But then again she was no longer his Marion was she?

"Thank you" she said "for bringing me back, for looking after me and Martha"

"I didn't do it for _you" _James snarled.

"I know"

They stood there in silence staring at one another. She broke the silence "you could come with us…if you want"

"Why would I want to come with you?"

"Because it could be fun, because I want to say thank you"

"What about Marion Smith? What happened to her?" he asked changing the subject.

"She's still here" Rose said quietly "my middle name is Marion, she was always part of me"

"She was better than you" James said just as quietly. "you just changed but she died. She died to save the world and those little boys. And for me and Martha"

She had the decency to look ashamed, she then held up the journal that Marion kept and threw it on the table "it's yours if you want it…I guess this is goodbye"

He didn't say anything just glared at her as she left. He then grabbed hold of the Journal and hugged it to his chest, holding the last bit of Marion to himself.

DWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDW

Rose walked up the hill silently, she felt her hearts shatter. She really did love James McDonald like Marion; he actually reminded her a lot of the Doctor in not only looks but attitude and personality. And now he doesn't want anything to do with her. She saw Martha standing there silently no longer in that maid's uniform looking more comfortable.

They stared at each other for a moment before they hugged each other tightly.

"Thank you so much for looking after me" Rose said into Martha's shoulder.

"Nah I did a rubbish job" Martha said pulling away "I helped him break your heart"

"No you didn't, you did everything you could. I should have realised that there was a good chance that I would. I always do fall in love with something or someone. Different levels though I'm not completely nuts"

Martha giggled and hugged her again "so glad I got you back" she murmured.

"Rose Tyler"

They turned to see Timothy standing there grinning.

"I wanted to thank you for your companionship and to say farewell" the boy said a bit stiffly, unsure how he'll do without his companion in the watch.

"No, thank you Timothy Latmir. Without you poor Martha would have never survived last night" Rose said pulling the boy it an embrace which he awkwardly returned. "you're welcome to come with us, you know"

"No thank you" Timothy said shaking his head "plenty of adventures to have down here…next year is a war, I saw it and I'm needed to fight it"

"Well then" Rose said pulling out the silver fob watch she resided in for the past two months and handing it to the boy "have this as a token of my gratitude"

The boy eagerly flicked it open and looked disappointed that it was empty. "thank you" he said pocketing it.

"Well then, best be off!" Rose said cheerfully herding Martha into the TARDIS.

"Rose!" Timothy shouted "be careful, because its coming you know. The darkness"

Rose froze; this is the second psychic she has met and the second psychic that had mentioned the darkness. Gwyneth had spoken of it before. _The things you've seen, the darkness, the Big Bad Wolf. _

"I'll be careful Timothy, I promise" she said before practically running into the TARDIS and slamming the door shut.

DWDWDWDWDWDWDW

It's been ninety years since then and yes he has seen her watching over him throughout his life, mostly in her future with various different companions. So he wasn't so surprised to see her and Martha standing away in the cemetery wearing the poppies, he smiled wearily out her and she beamed back. she was still his loyal friend even though she no longer lived in the fob watch.

DWDWDWDWDWDWDW

James McDonald fell in love again; he got married and had two children a son and a daughter. His son died in World War Two while his daughter married a man and had a son called Wilfred, Wilfred later on got married and had his own daughter who married and had a daughter called Donna…who was right now flipping through the Diary of an Impossible Girl, even more determined to find Rose Tyler.


	12. Utopia

"Cardiff

**Authors note: I am skipping Blink mostly because the Doctor was barely in there so what else could have Rose done differently? But also I'm eager to get Jack in.**

"Cardiff!"

"_Cardiff?"_

"Yep, Cardiff!" Rose nodded flicking a switch down "you see the thing about Cardiff is that it's built on a rift in time and space, which just bleeds out energy. So I land the TARDIS here, open up the engines and let it feed, bit like putting petrol in a car. It's been a while since she had some fuel, last time we went here…"

Martha watched Rose who was now deflated and no longer cheerful. They had only just got the TARDIS back from the Weeping Angels and everything was light and happy…now Rose seemed lost and sad.

"Rose?" she whispered.

Rose shook her head "sorry it's just the last time I came here I was with my men. The Doctor, Jack and Mickey…they're all gone now"

"Who are Jack and Mickey?" Martha asked.

"Jack is…well a flirt, but he was a brother to me…he's dead now. Mickey has been there all my life, we dated for a bit but I never…fell in love with him, it was more of a sibling love there as well, he's stuck in a parallel world with the Doctor…and my Mum"

"Oh Rose" Martha whispered, Rose had never fully talked about her life. Martha knew odd bits like this Doctor bloke of hers but not much. She held Rose in a tight embrace which Rose pulled away from almost immediately and wiped a few stray tears of her face.

"Come on then, let's get this thing into the vortex and I'll make us a cup of tea yeah?" she pressed a few buttons and then pulled down the lever, never looking at the monitor. If she had looked at the monitor she would have seen someone running towards the TARDIS.

Suddenly the TARDIS rocked harshly to the side sending the two women onto the floor.

"WHAT'S HAPPENING?" Martha shrieked.

Rose climbed back up to her feet, holding tightly to the monitor as she read it "we're accelerating" she gasped.

"Accelerating where?" Martha said through gritted teeth as she held on tightly to the railings.

"Into the future" Rose said reading the screen. "Year one billion, five billion, five trillion, fifty trillion…year one hundred trillion…oh my god we're going to the year one hundred trillion"

"What happens there?" Martha asks not liking the tone of voice Rose was using.

"We're going to the end of the universe!"

DWDWDWDWDWDWDWDW

They zipped up their jackets as they exited the TARDIS, the air was freezing and the sky was pitch black. No light or life could be seen. They were surrounded by cliffs of dark coloured rocks and they stood upon gritty sand just as dark as everything…there was nothing else apart from a body.

"Oh my god!" Martha said running towards the body, her medical instincts kicking in. she ran over and began to check for signs of life.

"Martha I think he's dead" Rose said walking up to them; suddenly she heard a huge gasp and Martha scream.

"Hello" came a very familiar American drawl "I'm Captain Jack Harkness and who are you?"

Rose froze and stared at Jack in shock who was still flirting with Martha, she felt something niggling in the back of her mind saying that he was wrong, that Jack shouldn't be there but…but it was _Jack! _She ran up and flung her arms round him, almost throwing him off his feet.

"Urgh!" he groaned.

She buried her head into his shoulder and he picked her up twirling her up in the air chuckling, she giggled and bit and they pulled apart.

"Your hair is darker and a bit shorter" Jack commented.

"Yours is lighter" Rose said "and you styled it differently, it looks better"

"So where is he? Mr Big Ears?" Jack asked.

Rose looked down at her shoes, furiously blinking the tears away "gone…he's gone. It's just me and Martha now"

"Yes we met" Jack said raking his eyes up and down Martha's body.

"Stop it" Rose said causing Jack to chuckle.

"Come on Rosie, you used to flirt and dance just like the rest of us, so don't you go and act all might like the Doc did"

Rose rolled her eyes "Captain Flirts-a-lot has entered the building" she muttered.

"And he's not leaving" Jack said wrapping an arm round Rose's waist "come on Rosie let's explore!"

Martha watched Jack and Rose walk slowly together and she couldn't help but grin, she has never seen Rose so happy before, she can only hope that Jack stays with them.

DWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDW

Jack and Rose were now walking with their arms linked as Jack started to retell how he ended up here with them.

"Well I woke up alone on that game station, covered in dalek dust. The TARDIS dematerializing right before me, leaving me alone"

"Oh Jack" Rose gasped "I'm so sorry, I was unconscious at the time, if I knew…" she trailed off when Jack shook his head at her grinning.

He held up his wrist and waved it before her eyes "but I have this, don't I? My vortex manipulator"

"Vortex as in time vortex?" Martha asked.

"Yep! Rosie and the Doc weren't the only ones that can travel in time"

Rose spluttered indignantly "that is not time travel! It's like…like I got a sports car and you got a space hopper"

"So I bounced" Jack said shrugging. "Besides I think the TARDIS wouldn't like being compared to a sports car"

"No she wouldn't" Rose agreed heatedly "she's not anyway, she's home"

"So anyway, I got the times wrong" Jack said sheepishly "landed in 1865, I spent the next 140 and so years waiting for the Doctor in Cardiff knowing full well that the Doctor would stop at some point to refuel"

Rose smirked for a moment but it disappeared when Martha said "but you look so young!" Martha was right, Rose couldn't put her finger on it but she knows there's something wrong with Jack, she knows that she is the cause…she's linked to him somehow.

"I know you wouldn't believe my real age if I told you" Jack said winking.

"Stop it!" Rose said tiredly.

"Oh come on Rosie Pose lighten up!" Jack pouted.

"I thought I told you to never call me that again?" Rose said narrowing her eyes.

"Well I think it's an adorable nickname for my little sis" Jack said.

"Call me that and there will be no chance for me to be an aunt" Rose shot back.

"Guys!" Martha snapped "we're at the end of the universe and you two are…acting like my family, can we leave the domestics alone?"

That caused Jack and Rose to roar in laughter, the pair clutched to their sides and leaned on one another giggling.

"Sorry Martha" Rose said in between giggles "inside joke"

"You sounded like our esteemed Doctor, Mr No Domestics" Jack chortled.

Rose froze at the sight behind Martha and both Martha and Jack looked at what she was staring at in awe. It looked like a city just made of rocks, bendy pathways running in all directions.

Jack let out a low whistle "what do you think it is?" he asked.

"A city or a hive or a nest, maybe even an conglomeration" Rose said shrugging.

"There used to be life here" Martha whispered "but it's all gone…what happened?"

"Time" Rose said flatly "just time. Everything is dying now. All the great civilisations gone" she pointed up at the sky "this isn't just night, all the stars have burnt out and faded away. Into nothing"

If Jack hadn't spotted the mob chasing someone he would have worried about that fact Rose sounded so old…so much like him, so much like the Doctor. "What's that?"

"Don't know but it looks like a hunt" Rose said "come on!" she ran down the hill with Jack and Martha hot on her heels.

DWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDW

The three raced along the cliff side, keeping their eyes set on their target down on the low flat lands. A grooved path of some sort of wheeled vehicle served as a path in the low light.

Jack laughed loudly "Oh I've missed this!" he shouted.

Rose reached the flat area of land first, but it was Jack who caught the terrified and dirty dark haired man. "I've got you! I've got you." When the man struggled in his arms, Jack handed him off to Rose and pulled out his gun as the man screamed and yelled.

"Jack, don't you dare." Rose shrieked. Turning, to look over at Rose, Jack paused and mouthed sorry before raising the gun. Firing off a shot, he watched as the hoard before them stopped at the noise.

Swallowing, Rose looked over the forms of the future kind nervously, "What are they?"

"There are more of them," the strange man shouted, "We've got to keep moving!"

"My ship will be alright. It's safe," Rose told him, "its right over there." They all turned to look back the way they came and saw another group of the vicious hunters running down the same path, "Maybe not"

"We're close to the silo," the stranger informed them, "If we get to the silo we're safe."

Rose turned to the others "silo?" she asked.

"I vote for silo" Jack said.

"Me too, silo for me" Martha agreed.

At the votes, the strange man took off running in the opposite direction. Running after him the three companions found themselves by a large gate with blinding lights shining in their eyes.

"It's the future kind!" the strange man screamed to the men manning the gate only a few yards in front of them, "Open the gate"

"Show me your teeth!" one of the guards yelled as they reached the high metal gate.

"Show me your teeth!"

"Show him your teeth." The three of them did.

"Human!" The guard yelled suddenly, "Human let them in, let them in." The heavy gate opened just wide enough for the rest of them to slip inside. "Close it! Close the gate!" The guards threw their weight against the gate and the head guard opened fire on the ground in front of the future kind. Rose took a step back as the future kind growled at them from beyond the gate. "Go back to where you came from," the head guard said firmly.

DWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDW

Moving the piece of wire through his fingers, Yana sighed at the soft hum of the machines around him. He had built all this from nothing and yet it was again nothing. It could not fulfil its purpose, could not grant humanity one last chance. Sighing, he made a few unnecessary adjustments. All of his work meant nothing, now all it was good for was giving a tiny spark of hope to others, but there was no one who could help him or give him hope. He barely heard Chantho moving around the lab, but he could feel her worried eyes on him. The loudspeaker overhead pulled him from his thoughts.

"Professor, we've got four new humans inside," looking back at his work, he dismissed the voice, four more humans hardly mattered to his work

"One of them…Rose Tyler called herself a scientist"

"Oh! A scientist! Oh my word," he nervously handed the parts to Chantho, suddenly unsure of what to do with himself, "I don't know!" shouting up to the speaker as he moved for the door, Yana grinned, "I'm coming!"

DWDWDWDWDWDWDW

"What did the psychic paper say?" Jack asked "it better not say you're single, you have a habit of letting that slip onto paper"

Rose glared at Jack "I was overwhelmed at the time" she said defending her actions when she was a young naive girl.

"I know I'm a very overwhelming person" Jack said grinning.

Rose elbowed him in the ribs "if you must know it said that I was a scientist" Rose said snottily.

"Oh a scientist" Jack mock swooned "how posh!"

"Shut up Harkness" Rose growled.

Martha bit her lip from giggling, the antics of Rose and Jack reminded her so much of Tish and Leo that she found it amusing. Though she had to squash a small part of her that felt a bit like a third wheel, she hadn't seen Rose so happy in a long time, so she should be happy for her.

Suddenly a voice shouted out "Rose Tyler" repeatedly. Rose turned round and held a hand up in the air bouncing up and down on her feet.

"That's me!" she called out.

An old man about roughly seventy came forward; he wore a smart black waist coat and bowtie with white shirt and black trousers. He eyes Rose in disbelieve before beaming "good, good, good, good, good" he said before gesturing her to walk after him.

"Apparently I'm good" Rose said grinning. Jack and Martha chuckling behind her as they followed the man.

DWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDW

They were lead into a laboratory, the old man leading Rose straight to a wall that looked like an old oven with a CD rack on it, power cables falling out of it everywhere. It looked a lot like one of the Doctor's inventions that he made when he was bored…they usually ended up on fire if Rose remembered correctly.

"Now, this is the gravitismal accelerator. "It's powerless, but it—"he explained.

"Chan, welcome, tho," a blue alien woman bowed her head to Martha and Jack.

"Hello I'm Martha" Martha said holding a hand out to the blue woman.

"Chan, Chantho, Tho," she took Martha's offered hand meekly and smiled.

"But we can't get it to _harmonise_," the old man's voice rose from across the room.

"Captain Jack Harkness," Jack offered Chantho his hand, grinning at the woman, who quite obviously blushed on her blue skin.

"Stop it," Rose called across the room, automatically.

"Can't I say hello to anyone?" Jack protested.

"Jack, hello is practically an invitation to bed with you" Rose said absently.

"Chan, I do not protest, tho," Chantho fluttered.

"Maybe later blue," Jack winked at Chantho, "So what have we got here?" he offloaded his backpack, and then clapped his hands as he walked off to the middle of the room.

Martha, being her usual curious self stepped towards the backpack and tried to peek through the gaps only to see something shimmer, she could almost hear bubbling sounds.

"And all this feeds into the rocket?" Rose asked wonderingly.

"Yes…" the old Professor said uncertainly. "Except without a stable footprint the thing won't ever achieve escape velocity. If _only_ we could harmonise the five impact patterns, and unify them, well we might yet make it," he turned away from the machinery. "What do you think, Rose? Any ideas?"

"Well," Rose gulped. "Uhm. Basically. Sort of," she looked around. "Not a clue."

"Nothing?" the Professor asked quickly, shaking his head in confusion.

Martha was now slowly peeling the backpack top off while Rose looked a bit guilty. "I'm not from around these parts; I've never seen a system like it. Sorry," she explained.

"No, no," the old man stuttered, "I'm sorry. My fault, there's been so little help."

"Jack! What the hell?" Martha shouted jumping away from the bag.

Jack moved toward her. "I said I had a Doctor-detector," he picked up the jar, drawing it out of the pack. A hand bubbled away inside it, waving at her. Martha couldn't remember anything in Jack's story about a hand.

"Chan, is this a tradition amongst your people, tho?" Chantho asked uncertainly.

Rose's eyes widened, "Not exactly. Jack, that's the _Doctor's_ hand? The one the Sycorax chopped off?"

Jack nodded, shrugging.

Rose blinked "how the hell did _that _track down the TARDIS?"

Jack shrugged "that TARDIS must still be covered in the Doctor's DNA or maybe the Doctor's hand is connected to the TARDIS how should I know?"

"Chan, it is rather creepy, tho" Chantho said edging away from Jack as far as possible.

"Yeah it is" Rose said "Sorry, what was your name?"

"My assistant. And good friend, Chantho," the old man ushered the alien girl forward. "A survivor of the Malmooth. This was their planet, Malcassairo, before we took refuge," he explained.

"The city outside that was yours?"

"Chan, the conglomeration died, tho," Chantho replied sadly.

"I'm sorry" Rose said placing a comforting hand on Chantho's shoulder.

"Chan, most grateful, tho."

"So what about those things outside," Jack crossed his arms, changing the subject and addressing the old man. "Beastie boys. What are they?"

"Ah, we call them the future kind," he seemed to come back to reality, turning away from the hand in a jar on the coffee table. "This is a myth in itself. But uh, it's feared they are what we will become. Unless we reach Utopia," he nodded.

"An'…Utopia is?" Rose prompted.

The old man laughed. "Oh, every human knows of Utopia, where have you been?"

"Oh, you know," Rose waved her hand. "Here an' there."

She turned back to the old man, who motioned to her to follow him, and then walked back toward the centre of the room.

He lead them to a black screen, with a blue map on it. There was a blinking red light in the top right corner of the monitor. Above the screen were the words, "Gravitational Field Navigation System".

Rose leaned her hands on the console, staring at it.

"The call came from across the stars," the Professor began to explain. "Over and over again. 'Come to Utopia'," he sounded distant for a moment, and then pointed at the red dot. "Originating from that point."

The Professor looked far away with a dreamy expression in his eyes, well no dreamy really more like distant.

"Professor?" Rose urged softly.

"Oh, um, right, that's enough talk," the Professor dusted off his waistcoat. "There's work to do, now if you could leave me, thank you."

"You all right?" Rose asked biting her lip nervously.

"Yes I'm fine - and busy."

"Except…" Rose faltered. "That rocket's not going to fly. Is it?" she said sadly. "This…footprint mechanism…thing. It's not working."

The old Professor paused, closing his eyes. "We'll find a way."

"You're stuck on this planet. And you haven't told them, have you? That lot out there, they still think they're going to fly."

The old man sat down. "Well it's better to let them live in hope," he held up his hands helplessly.

"Everyone lives in hope; this is probably the best they have" Rose said "Professor…?"

"Yana," the old man supplied.

"Professor Yana," Rose stepped up to one of the metal consoles in the middle of the room, "this new science is well beyond me – well actually most are, I only know things because I was forced to learn by my ship, but all the same, a boost reversal circuit in any time frame must be…a circuit which reverses the boost, so, I wonder what would happen," she took a cable in her hand, and began to sonic it. "If I did this," she said, between her teeth, pulling a small lever that joined the cables together.

There was a powering up whine, and lights began to flash. Professor Yana was still standing, mouth wide open in shock, looking at the controls powering up around him.

"Chan, it's working, tho!" Chantho called from across the room.

"But…how did you do that?" Professor Yana was still gaping.

"All guess work really" Rose said "bit of Time Lord Knowledge mixed in with good old human gut instinct"

DWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDW

Everything was going to plan, they were prepared for lift off and the TARDIS was now placed in the very room they were in. Yana peered at it admiringly when suddenly an alarm started.

"Chan, we're losing power, tho!"

Suddenly one of the panels on the side of the wall started issuing sparks, and Jack jumped towards it, punching keys furiously. Rose jumped to the other side punching in the keys just as furiously. Martha hit the reboot button recklessly to try get the picture back.

"The radiation's rising!" Rose called from across the room.

"We've lost control!" Jack called, almost at the same time.

Professor Yana hobbled his way to a third panel, near Rose and Jack. "The chamber's going to flood!"

"Jack! Override the vents!" Rose called urgently.

The picture faded up on the screen, and Martha saw Atillo motioning furiously from the porthole.

"We can jumpstart the override!" Jack shouted.

A sound, quite like a lightening strike, rang through the laboratory, and Martha jumped to her feet, tearing her eyes from the monitor, seeing Jack raising a couple of live cables toward each other. It happened quickly Jack screamed out in pain as he was being electrocuted, he soon collapsed letting go of the cables. Martha ran to his side and began to perform CPR.

"Martha leave him" Rose said quietly. "Professor Yana you said that no one can enter that room without dying right?"

"Yes" Professor Yana said.

"Well…" Rose turned to look at Jack who sat up gasping causing Martha to scream. "I got you just the man for the job"

"Did someone just kiss me?" Jack asked.

Rose sighed "time and place Jack, time and place"

DWDWDWDWDWDWDWDW

Jack practically ripped his shirt off, Rose stood there coolly raising an eyebrow up at him "the radiation doesn't effect clothing" she said.

"I know I just want to look good" Jack said winking, Rose rolled her eyes. "I'm going in"

Jack ran into the room and immediately started to work "how long have you known Rose?" he asked quietly.

"Ever since I saw you lying there in Martha's arms" Rose admitted "I felt something wrong about you. I think that's why the TARDIS brought us here; she was trying to throw you off"

"Thanks" Jack muttered sarcastically.

"How long have you known?" Rose asked.

"Earth. 1892. Got in a fight on Ellis Island. Man shot me through the heart. Then I woke up. Thought it was kinda strange. But then it never stopped," he paused. "Fell of a cliff, trampled by horses, world war one, world war two, poisoned, starvation, a stray javelin."

Rose winced "I'm sorry" she said.

"Last thing I remember…when I was mortal" Jack said quietly "I was facing three daleks, death by extermination. What happened?"

"Me"

"The Doctor sent you home"

"Oh like I was supposed to sit round and eat chips while my men were dying out there in battle" Rose snapped.

"Rose what did you do?"

"Me, Mum and Mickey…we opened the heart of the TARDIS up with a yellow truck" Rose smiled to herself "weird I know. I looked into the heart of the TARDIS and she looked into me…we merged, became one. I became powerful, if the Doctor did it he would have become a vengeful god…but I was human and young…I didn't want you to die Jack not ever"

Jack smiled weakly "could you change me back"

"NO!" Rose snapped furiously "I refuse to lose you, selfish I know but…"

"But?"

"You weren't the only one who got effected by my actions that day. The Doctor…he kissed it out of me and it killed him, he had to regenerate, you would have loved the next incarnation of him, cheeky, handsome, fun…he was more alive." Rose sighed "and me? I mutated…slowly. My DNA slowly altered itself until I became like the Doctor, all because I looked into that power."

"Where is the Doctor?" Jack asked changing the subject quickly.

"Trapped" Rose said "Battle of Canary Wharf, we were there. He got pulled in; about to fall into the void, gone forever…but a parallel version of my Dad saved him. The Doctor is living the life he thought he could never have, trapped in a parallel universe…"

"I'm sorry"

"Yeah…"

"I used to visit the estate" Jack said suddenly "watch you grow up from a distance. Do you know how much I wanted to punch Jimmy Stone?"

Rose smirked "maybe we should take a little trip so you can fulfil that desire"

Jack grinned back before finishing off the last canister. Just as he exited the room Martha came barrelling down the corridor.

"ROSE!" she shouted panting "oh Rose you won't believe this! Professor Yana has a watch, a watch just like yours when you made yourself human! He's opening it now!"

Rose stood there frozen for a moment, could Yana be the Doctor? Or was he someone else? She shook her head, it didn't matter who it was, she still had to explain them the Time War. She ran after Martha.

DWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDW

The Time Lord was in her TARDIS and he locked the doors from the inside so she couldn't get in. she could see Chantho's dead body on the floor and she knew that this man was not as good as his human self. She banged on the doors hard.

"Please let me in!" she shrieked "the TARDIS is all we have, please!"

"Sorry Miss Tyler but this is the Doctor's TARDIS and it's a sweet revenge to go off with it" there was a pause "oh, oh new voice! How fantastic is that? Hello, hello, hellooooooooo! Well then Miss Tyler, Captain and Dr Jones. End of the universe, this is the Master saying bye, bye!"

Rose pulled out her sonic screwdriver and pointed it at the TARDIS quickly before it dematerialized. She stood back with tears on her face as she lost her home. Jack and Martha were holding the door shut as the future kind attempted to get in.

"Rose we need your help!" Martha shouted.

But what could Rose do? There was nothing she can do, not after losing her home…


	13. Sound of Drums

Previously:

**Previously:**

"_Please let me in!" she shrieked "the TARDIS is all we have, please!"_

"_Sorry Miss Tyler but this is the Doctor's TARDIS and it's a sweet revenge to go off with it" there was a pause "oh, oh new voice! How fantastic is that? Hello, hello, hellooooooooo! Well then Miss Tyler, Captain and Dr Jones. End of the universe, this is the Master saying bye, bye!"_

_Rose pulled out her sonic screwdriver and pointed it at the TARDIS quickly before it dematerialized. She stood back with tears on her face as she lost her home. Jack and Martha were holding the door shut as the future kind attempted to get in. _

"_Rose we need your help!" Martha shouted. _

_But what could Rose do? There was nothing she can do, not after losing her home…_

There was a blinding flash of light before three people appeared gasping and leaning on one another. Jack moaned quietly to himself, Rose held onto her sides while Martha looked like she was going to be sick any moment.

"That was horrible" Martha managed to get out.

"Non capsule travel in the vortex, it's a nightmare on the body" Jack said "I puked the first time I did it, you two managed well though"

"This is why the TARDIS is so much better than that bloody wristwatch" Rose said "speaking of which we need to find her"

"How do you know that the TARDIS and that Master bloke are here?" Jack asked.

"I locked the co-ordinates on the TARDIS so she would only go between where we were to the last place we've been"

"Which was naturally 2007" Martha muttered.

"He can be anywhere" Rose said "so be on your guard, who knows who he might be"

The three of them walked down the street side by side, Rose couldn't help but notice that everyone was subconsciously taping out a beat.

"Great we missed the election" Martha said sarcastically, checking the date on a nearby newspaper.

"Damn I wanted to vote for Saxon" Jack cried out.

"Who's Saxon?" Rose asked.

"Not sure really, he's a great man, wonderful. Going to change Britain for the better" Jack said.

They stopped before a large flat screen in the middle of the town and watched everyone applauded as a brown haired man and a blonde woman walked down the steps.

"WHOO!" Jack shouted "Saxon did win; I was going to vote for him"

"Me too" Martha said grinning.

Saxon stopped before the cameramen and beamed "thank you, thank you"

Martha paled "that voice…I recognise it"

"Bloody hell the Master bloke is our Prime Minster" Jack blurted out.

They watched the Master bend down and kiss the blonde "and apparently he got married" Rose said in amusement.

"This country is dying" the Master said "we had a bad few years, what this country needs is fertiliser, water, sunlight before we can bloom back to a true English Rose"

"What?" Jack said raising an eyebrow.

"I think that was a message to me" Rose said quietly "though I haven't got a clue with what he wants"

DWDWDWDWDWDWDWDW

Martha breathed in slowly and exhaled just as slowly, smiling serenely. She was back in her flat and she couldn't help but be content to be home again. Jack was helping himself to the tea and coffee in her kitchen while Rose was burrowing her laptop to research 'Harold Saxon', she stood there silently watching the two chat.

"I think I'll have a shower and change my clothes" Martha said suddenly "it feels like I have worn these forever" she waved at the black jeans and long jacket that she had put on minutes before she went to Cardiff.

"Could I use the shower after you?" Rose asked absently "and maybe burrow some clothes?"

"Sure I'll leave some on the bed for you" Martha said

"Here's an idea" Jack said "let's all share a shower to save the hot water"

"Stop it" Rose and Martha said in unison.

"Oh come on, what has a guy got to do to have some fun?" Jack asked the ceiling.

"Buy a magazine" Rose suggested.

"Oh please like I would stoop so low" Jack snorted.

"Really then why did I find so many copies under your mattress?" Rose asked raising an eyebrow.

"What were you doing looking under my mattress?" Jack shot back.

"Enough with the bleeding domestics!" Martha snapped from her bedroom "honestly if I wanted to listen to arguing I would have stayed home with Tish and Leo, Mum and Dad"

Jack and Rose both bit into their fists to muffle their laughter.

DWDWDWDWDWDWDW

"I'm voting for Saxon" Sharon Osborne said before the video ended.

"Well you have to hand it to him" Rose said "he works fast and he does rather well. Makes up a whole identity, gets married, takes over the government and has the whole world in love with him. But how did he manage it?"

"No idea…all I know is that he created the Archangel Network" Martha said zipping up her red leather jacket up, Rose couldn't believe that Martha had two of them but then again the amount of brown pinstriped suits the Doctor had…

"Archangel Network?"

"It's the latest phone network, the whole world is connected to it" Jack supplied "well everyone but you Rosie, you were always behind the times"

"Oh shut up Jack, Martha can I have your mobile for a moment?" Rose asked. Martha silently past her phone to Rose who promptly held her sonic screwdriver to it and then held the phone to her ear "ah…it's all in the beats, trust in me, believe in me, vote for Saxon. Good hypnotist this guy"

"Hold on he has a speech coming up in a minute" Jack said tuning Martha's TV on "we should watch it and see if he drops anymore hints"

"Britain, Britain, Britain" the Master said holding his hands together before him. "What extraordinary times we had. Just a few years ago this world was so small and then they came, out of the unknown, falling from the skies"

A clip of a spaceship crashing into Big Ben appeared.

"Oh I remember that!" Rose cried out "Slitheen, ended up blowing up Downing Street"

"Why am I not surprised that was you?" Martha muttered under her breath as Jack gave Rose a high five.

A clip of the ghost and the metal men came on. Rose shivered and clung on to Jack's hand.

"That was when I lost everything" she whispered "the Doctor, Mum, Mickey…"

"Still got us" Jack whispered back comfortingly "stuck with me forever"

The clip of the Racnoss ship appeared.

"I don't remember that" Rose said "then again I was under the Thames with a bossy redheaded bride"

"Oh sounds like fun, can I have her number?"

"I think Donna would eat you for breakfast Jack" Rose said grinning.

"– time and time again and the Government told you nothing. But not me, Harold Saxon because today my purpose is to tell you citizens of Great Britain…I have been contacted"

Rose, Jack and Martha leaned forwards in interest.

"A message to humanity from beyond the stars" the Master said, Rose raised an eyebrow, she had to hand it to the Master, he sure knew how to be dramatic. A clip of a metal sphere appeared.

"People of the Earth" it said in a childlike voice "we come in peace, we bring great gifts, we bring technology, wisdom and protection and all we ask in return is your friendship"

The Master pouted "aw sweet" he said in what Rose found a patronising tone. "and this species have identified themselves, they call themselves the Tocalfane"

"What!" Rose exclaimed

"And tomorrow they're going to appear not in secret but to all of you, diplomatic relations with a new species will begin. Tomorrow we take how place in the universe. Every man, woman and child. Every teacher and chemist and lorry driver and farmer and I don't know…every medical student?"

Rose looked up at Martha in panic, before lunging to the TV and turning it round to reveal a bomb wired to the TV.

"OUT!" she screamed. The three of them scrambled to their feet, Rose snatched up the laptop as Jack herded Martha out of the door. They had only just made it out on the street when a loud exploding sound could be heard and the window smashed, fire could be seen.

"Everyone all right?" Rose asked.

"I'm fine" Jack said.

Martha pulled out her phone not answering Rose.

"Martha what are you doing?" Rose demanded.

"He knows about me, what about my family?" Martha said putting the phone up to her ear.

"Don't tell them anything!" Rose hissed.

"I do what I like!" Martha growled.

DWDWDWDWDWDWDWDW

Martha sat there frozen in the car as she watched them shut the doors on her screaming mother and panicked father. Tish as it turned out was working for the Master so she would have also been captured.

"Martha" Rose whispered beside her "I know what it is like to have your family taken away from you but we will get them back, I promise you. This isn't like my family, we have many chances but we did to move now before they shoot"

Martha would love to argue with Rose, to say that she had no idea what it feels like but the thing is Rose did. She can never see them again, they're trapped on a parallel world while Martha's were only somewhere in the country, she stamped hard on the reverse, barely avoiding the bullets as she drove furiously away from the street.

DWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDW

"Leo just go! Go anywhere, Brighton to see Dan. But you have to go before he gets you as well" Martha shouted into the phone.

"Martha I don't understand, why would Saxon want us?"

"I can't tell you, just please just hide!"

"A nice game of hide and seek" the Master cut in "well I'll find you Martha Jones, been a long time since we seen each other…what a hundred trillion years?"

"Leo hang up now!" Martha shrieked. Leo must have done what she asked because he didn't speak at all. "what do you want?" Martha asked the Master.

"Just want to speak to Miss Tyler, could you pass me along?"

Martha thrusted the phone into Rose's hand, furious that this was happening, that her family was captured and her brother on the run. "hello?"

"Well, well, well, finally I get to speak to the famous Rose Tyler"

"Look, I mean no harm to you. I just want my TARDIS back" Rose said quietly into the phone.

"Oh Miss Tyler straight to the point! No fun in that!"

"The Tocalfane" Rose said changing her direction "they're not real, they're the Galifreyan version of the bogeyman"

"All those fairytales of the Tocalfane when I was a child" the Master said sadly "you know your Doctor used to be terrified of them when we were children. Where is Galifrey Miss Tyler? Where is the Doctor?"

"Gone"

"How can Galifrey be gone? How can the Doctor be gone?"

"War"

"The Time Lords? The daleks?"

"Gone…what happened to you? How did you survive?"

"Time Lords only resurrected me because they knew I was the perfect warrior for the Time War. I was there when the dalek emperor took over the Crucible, I saw it…and I ran. I ran so far, made myself human so they would never find me…I was…so scared"

"I know" Rose said comfortingly "but they're gone now, I got rid of them"

"I know! I heard about your little chat with the heart of the TARDIS" the Master said cheerfully "I saw it in the memory banks and I must say Rose Tyler for such a young child at the time you were…seductive. I was getting a hard on just looking at the memory"

"Ew, that I did not need to know" Rose said scrunching her face up.

"Tell me, how did it feel? To have time and space burning in your veins, to see everything, to know everything, to be everything. You were a goddess once Rose Tyler, how did it feel?"

"Stop it! Stop it!" Rose snapped "I lost my first Doctor because of it, I sentenced Jack to a eternity of watching those he loves die and god knows what else happened because of it"

"We're the last you know" the Master said "you and me…we could play Adam and Eve"

"Are you trying to ask me on a date?" Rose asked "because you're crap at asking"

"Can't you hear it? The drumming, you've looked into power like I had as a child…WHY CAN'T YOU HEAR THE DRUMS?"

Rose could hear him beating out a tune on a table or something and she closed her eyes and sighed. She pitied this man, he woke up to find his home planet gone and he's a nutter.

"I can help you" she said "let me help you"

"It's everywhere" the Master hissed "listen, listen…here comes the drums, here comes the drums"

Rose looked up to see a man leaning on the wall patting out the same beat onto his legs. "What have you done?" she asked "what have you done? Tell me" what are those creatures?"

"Oh look you're on TV" the Master cried out in mock shock.

"Stop it and just tell me" Rose snarled.

"No really you're on telly, you and your little gang. Which is shown on every democratic box so congratulations"

Rose peered through a window where there was a TV, the photos of her, Jack and Martha where on the screen with a sign claming them to be terrorists.

"You're public enemies one, two and three. Oh and you can tell handsome Jack that I have sent his little gang on a wild goose chase to the Himalayas. So you won't be getting any help from them. Now go on off you go, why don't you start by turning to the right?"

Rose turned to look up and saw the CCTV camera "he can see us!" she yanked out the sonic screwdriver and used it to make the camera explode.

"Oh you public menace, better start running, go on run!"

"He's got control of their minds" Rose whispered.

"What do we do?" Martha asked.

"We got no where to go" Jack said.

"Rose, what do we do?"

"RUN!" the Master shouted through the phone "Rose Tyler run for your life"

"We run" Rose said turning round and starting to jog, the others followed her. They picked up speed once they got round the corner and began to run as fast as they could.

"I SAID RUN!"

DWDWDWDWDWDWDWDW

They were lounging in an abandoned warehouse eating chips when Jack's vortex manipulator started beeping; Jack pressed in a few codes and read it out "an video email with a few files attached from someone unknown"

"Oh let's see!" Rose said sitting up and wrapping the last of her chips up.

"Rose…there's something I haven't told you" Jack said carefully. Using his vortex manipulator he got a screen up on the laptop…with the Torchwood logo.

"You work for Torchwood" Rose said in a deadly quiet voice.

"I swear to you its different, it's changed there's only half a dozen of us"

"After what Torchwood did" Rose hissed "you're part of it!"

"The old regime was destroyed in Canary Wharf. I rebuilt it, I changed it, there's only half a dozen of us and when I did that I did it in yours and the Doctor's honour! Please Rose you're practically my little sister, you have to believe me"

Rose stared at Jack who looked up at her pleadingly with his blue eyes. She couldn't be angry, Jack would have never allowed Canary Wharf happen if he was in charge, if there was only half a dozen of them and they're loyal to Jack then they're not going to do anything stupid are they?

"Ok" she whispered "I believe you"

They watched the video of a reporter telling them everything she knew about the Master and the Archangel Network. They began to discuss plans when Martha mentioned the TARDIS and the keys causing Rose to snatch them all up and muck about with the sonic screwdriver.

"What are you doing?" Martha asked.

"I am making a perception filter for us, we're going to that broadcasting and we're going to stop the Master" Rose said grinning.

For the first time since her family got captured Martha smiled back.

DWDWDWDWDWDWDWDW

They stood there silently as they watched men drag Tish, Francine and Clive across the air field. Francine and Clive were fighting every step.

"My god I'm going to kill him" Martha whispered.

Rose reached out and took her hand "we'll get them back, I promise"

"I say we used the perception filter to sneak up on him and break his neck" Jack growled.

Rose slapped his arm "that's Torchwood talk. We don't kill him unless it's last resort"

"Still a good plan" Jack muttered.

"He's a Time Lord, that makes him my responsibility…the Doctor wouldn't want me to kill him."

"The Valiant is a UNIT aircraft" Jack said taping something his vortex manipulator "to 58 point north to east"

"How do we get on board?" Martha asked Rose.

"Does that thing work as a teleport?" Rose asked Jack.

"Since you revamped it…yeah. The co-ordinates are set"

The three of them placed a hand onto Jack's vortex manipulator and disappeared in a blue white flash.

DWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDW

They appeared in the ship groaning. Martha and Rose were on the floor clutching their side while Jack jumped up and down.

"God that thing is rough" Martha burst out.

"Reminds me of last night!" Jack said causing Martha to giggle and Rose to roll her eyes. "Welcome to the Valiant"

Rose slowly stood up and stared out of the window to see the skies, it was rather beautiful if it wasn't the fact she was here to stop a psychotic Time Lord.

DWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDW

They found the TARDIS, it took awhile for Rose to unlock it as her hand was shaking and the Master might have changed the locks, in sheer frustration she banged her fists on the door before using the sonic screwdriver. They ran in to the find the TARDIS light in angry red and her console being mutilated.

"What happened to her?" Jack breathed.

"Don't touch anything" Rose whispered.

"I wasn't going to" Jack defended himself.

"What has he done?" Martha asked "it sounds like its sick"

Rose ran round the console "it can't be" she whispered "no, no, no, no, no, no, no it can't be"

"Rose what is it?" Martha asked.

"He's cannibalised the TARDIS" Rose growled.

"Is this what I think it is?" Jack asked with a disgusted look on his face.

"It's a paradox machine" Rose said confirming Jack's suspicions.

DWDWDWDWDWDWDWDW

Rose had edged closer to the Master as the President of the United States was trying to communicate with the Tocalfane, who were claiming to like the Master better. Suddenly they killed the President and the Master jumped up away from Rose.

"HA! I admit it, it was me, guards grab them" he ran up the stairs and leaned over the railings as the guards' grabbed hold of Rose and pulled her before him "tut, tut Rosie. As if a perception filter would work on me, must still think like a filthy human from time to time"

"Please" Rose pleaded "end this madness"

"Oh look it's the girly and the freak" the Master said nodding to Martha and Jack "though which is which" the Master reached into his trousers pocket as Jack charged to him, the Master then pressed a button on something and shot Jack who fell to the floor dead. Everyone gasped. "Laser screwdriver, who would have sonic? And the good thing is he's not dead for long I GET TO KILL HIM AGAIN!"

"Leave him alone" Rose snarled.

"Oh Rose, Rose, Rose, Rose" the Master said "I got so many plans for you, the emperor of the world needs a mistress as well as a queen"

"Screw you" Rose spat.

"That my dear is exactly the point" the Master waved the guards to let Rose go, who immediately went to Jack's side, Martha ran beside them and held onto Rose's arm. "now I bet you've been wondering…why I need a paradox machine, what will the Tocalfane do, well Rosie Pose I'll show you"

To everyone's horror the sky split open and billions of Tocalfane spilled out.

"Tocalfane…kill one tenth of the Earth's population" the Master said grinning not noticing Rose whispering quickly into Martha's ear, not noticing Martha take something from Jack. He glanced at the threesome just as Martha looked at her family before disappearing in a flash and he let out a little roar of fury before calming himself down "doesn't matter, I'll get the brat soon enough. Now I shall enjoy my reign as the Master of Earth"

DWDWDWDWDWDWDW

Down on Earth, Martha walked up a hill watching in horror as the red angry sky let more and more Tocalfane out. She cringed as she heard the screams of people from the city before she set off to do her duty…she was going to walk round Earth for a whole year, she only hoped that Rose's plan was going to work.


	14. He Never Was

Previously:

**Previously:**

_Down on Earth, Martha walked up a hill watching in horror as the red angry sky let more and more Tocalfane out. She cringed as she heard the screams of people from the city before she set off to do her duty…she was going to walk round Earth for a whole year, she only hoped that Rose's plan was going to work. _

It was the first week on the Valiant when he came.

Rose was pretty much locked up in a bedroom for the duration of that week, the Master coming every night in attempt to win her over and always ended up having his wine dumped over his head much to the Jones's amusement. Her clothes, the jeans and t-shirt had been taken away and she had been given robes…Galifreyan traditional robes, many layers of soft cotton in white. She looked a lot like a snow queen in them Tish said when she delivered her meals. Apart from her plan which took an hour tops each day, Rose didn't have much to do, she hated the fact she was locked in some fancy room while Jack was in horrible conditions down below and Martha's family was in servant headquarters which weren't very nice.

It was late evening when the Master came in for his regular attempt to seduce Rose, he kept saying he could very well hypnotise her into it but he likes the challenge and besides what use is having a Time Lady if she can't think for herself. He strolled in with his usual confidence.

"Rosie my dear" he said holding his arms out to her, she stood where she was glaring at him. He put them down still grinning insanely. "Now I know you hate me for locking you in this bedroom but I need to have something to insure that you won't try to escape and go after your little pet. Since the Jones family aren't close to you and Jack can't die I have no leverage…till now that is" he clicked his fingers and two guards came in dragging a man with them.

A very familiar man….a man that shouldn't be there, that couldn't have been there. He looked up at her and whispered "Rose…"

"Doctor" Rose whispered falling to her knees so she was eye level with him, her hand reached out to touch his cheek, when she felt his warm – warm? Time Lord's body temperatures were cooler than humans – cheek, she gasped. He was real. "How?"

"I was bored" the Master said "Earth politics are sooooooooooo boring and slow, so to amuse myself I nicked a few things from Lazarus, used that lovely hand that Jack left for me and voila made myself a clone…few downsides though, he's not Time Lord, he's human. I had to throw in some human DNA for it to work and they became dominant. So now I have a Doctor toy to play with and you Rosie Pose will do everything I tell you or he'll die, sounds fair?"

Rose didn't say a word; she just kept staring at the Doctor in a mix of shock and horror. He was here, yet it wasn't him. He was a human clone version.

"Well I got to go, I decided to spend time with my wife and queen while you and the Human Doctor here can play catch up, bye, bye kiddies play nice" the Master said waving his guards to follow him.

As the door slammed shut. The pair of them stared at each other in silent horror. Neither dared to speak, Rose nervously bit her lip and dropped her hand from his cheek, breaking eye contact as she looked down at her lap.

"Rose, what happened?" the Doctor, Human Doctor, whatever he was asked "one minute I was fighting the Sycorax leader the next I wake up to find the Master leaning over me and you dressed up in Galifreyan clothes. What happened?"

"Your hand got cut off" Rose whispered "you re-grew it, fought the leader, saved the world, picked out some new clothes and had Christmas dinner with us." That Christmas felt like a lifetime ago for her. We went back to travelling, then there was this war…and you, Mum and Mickey got trapped in a parallel world. I travelled on my own, met Martha and took her along with me, met Jack who apparently had your hand the whole time and that was when we found the Master."

"What happened to you Rose? You're so old and cold, what happened to you?"

"I have no idea what you mean" Rose said flatly before she got up and turned away from him. She ignored him for the rest of the night.

DWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDW

She had managed to keep ignoring him for the next two months. This was hard, since they had to share a room, however now the Master was sure that Rose won't leave the Valiant, Rose was allowed to wander round the Valiant, and she often chose to spend her time with Jack in the cells.

"He's lot like our first Doctor" she said one afternoon "sad, alone, depressed. He can't stand being human; it's driving him insane I can tell. I hear him at night crying out for the TARDIS, for Galifrey and for you and me"

"Then why do you ignore him and avoid being with him?" Jack asked.

"Because…he can spend the rest of his life with me but I can't spend the rest of mine with him. He'll wither and die" she felt tears prickle in her eyes; she was quoting him, how unfair was that?

"Blasted chains, if it weren't for these I'll hug you" Jack said yanking his wrists.

Rose gave him a watery smile and a peck on the cheek. "I don't know what I would have done without you Jack"

"You would have been a pancake on a London street in 1941 that's what" Jack grumbled good naturally.

DWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDW

It was probably about two weeks after that particular chat with Jack when the Doctor cornered her in their room.

"Why are you doing this?" he asked quietly.

"Doing what?"

"Ignoring me, avoiding me. I know you had a hard time adjusting to the regeneration but I never thought you would be like this"

"It has nothing to do with the fact you regenerated" Rose said stiffly.

"Is it because I'm human?" he shot out immediately.

"Partially" Rose admitted looking down at her feet.

"So now that I can no longer offer you time and space you want nothing to do with me?" the Doctor snarled.

"It's not that" Rose whispered "you are the man who I fell in love with. The man who held my hand in that basement and told me to run, the man who took me to the end of the world, the man who gaped at me when I wore a dress, the man who blew number 10 Downing Street, the man who held me after my father died, the man who did everything he could to keep me safe"

He opened his mouth but she held a hand up to gesture him to not interrupt him.

"But you have the face of a man who broke my heart again and again" she said tearfully "you have the face of a man who took me to New Earth where we got possessed by Cassandra, the face of a man who took me to meet Queen Victoria only to get us banished and Torchwood set up, the face of ta man who introduced me to Sarah Jane, the face of a man who left me for Madam De Pompadour, the face of a man who is gone forever, trapped in the parallel world with my Mum and Mickey"

"Rose" he whispered.

She closed her eyes in an attempt to stop the tears but it was too late, she can feel one roll down her cheek and another and another. She then felt his hands on her cheeks, his thumbs wiping her tears away before he ducks down and presses his lips to hers in a chaste kiss.

It was that night she tells him everything he had missed in complete detail.

DWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDW

Rose knew that the peace on the Valiant couldn't last. Soon enough the Master would try to pursue her again, soon he'll be bored of whoever or whatever he was tormenting. She didn't realise exactly what he had been after till she entered Jack's cell to find him sobbing.

"Jack? Jack what happened? What's wrong?"

Jack lifted his face up to reveal red puffy eyes and tears flowing freely down on his cheeks "he killed Toshiko, my Toshiko" he said.

"Who's Toshiko Jack?" Rose asked gently.

"She was part of my team, she was a genius, my protégé you could almost say, I adored her, and she was…family."

Rose cupped Jack's face "I'm so, so sorry" she whispered "just eight more months, eight more months"

"How long though, will it be before he kills my Owen, Ianto and Gwen? I can't lose them"

Rose swallowed; there was nothing she can say to reassure Jack about his team.

DWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDW

"Rosie Pose" the Master said "have I told you how gorgeous you look tonight?"

"Piss off!" Rose snarled.

"Now, now Rosie what language is that…are you made that I killed your Jack's little nerd?"

"What do you want?" Rose demanded.

"You, me last of our kind. What else do you think I want?" the Master leaned in to her "I want to take you _dancing" _she slapped him. He had invaded the memory banks and used everything she and the Doctor have said and done against her, he deserved that slap.

Later that day the Doctor had disappeared only to be returned badly beaten up, the message was simple; Rose obeyed the Master and the Doctor wouldn't be harmed.

DWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDW

It was Christmas, when the Doctor went into a rage. He threw the vases against the wall, he pushed the items that the Master had given to Rose off of the vanity desk and paced the room tugging his hair.

"Please calm down" Rose pleaded "you have to calm down"

"Why should I?" the Doctor snarled grabbing hold of her shoulders roughly. "Tell me why I should be calm when you're with him like that."

"Why does it matter, as long as you're safe" Rose whispered looking to the side.

"Look at me" the Doctor said in a dangerously low voice. She didn't, she was scared and ashamed to. "LOOK AT ME!"

She turned her gaze slowly to his, she inhaled sharply, his eyes were so dark that they were practically black and his face was white in fury. "It angers me" the Doctor hissed clutching to her tightly, so tight that she's sure she'll have bruises on her shoulders. "Because we have never…because you don't…and on top of that…"

"I didn't think that you would have…" Rose trailed off.

Suddenly his lips crash on to hers and he pushes her up against the wall, his hands fiddling with the clasps on her robes as her hands entwine themselves into his hair as she opens her mouth to accept his tongue. He pulled away a bit and panted heavily.

"I have always wanted you" he whispered "I love you, I love you so much"

A small part of Rose's heart broke, he never dared to even hint such a thing let alone tell her. Was it because he was human now? How can she do this, he was going to age and die…

"I love you too" she whispered before pulling his head down for another kiss.

DWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDW

He made her swear on the TARDIS, her life and his to never go to the Master's bed no matter what the Master does to the Doctor. Nearly every week she had to nurse the Doctor from the injuries the Master had given to him.

The pair of them managed to escape the guards to visit Jack again; once again he was crying…this time both Owen and Ianto had been killed. After comforting him, they headed back into their room where the Doctor smacked his fists into the wall.

"How can we do this?" he snarled "how can we sit up here and be comfortable while the world below us are dying?"

"It won't be like this for long" Rose whispered "I have a plan"

"And how many people will die in the meantime?" the Doctor shouted.

"Many…but then they'll be saved"

The Doctor let out a bitter laugh "you can't resurrect millions of people Rose"

"You'll be surprised with what I can do"

"I feel so useless" the Doctor whispered.

Rose took his hands and kissed his knuckles tenderly "you're far from useless"

They spent the afternoon making desperate love, the Doctor ended up snuggling his head into her breasts during the afterglow and he froze. He only just worked out what was happening, he should have realised when her skin was cooler than his, when she spoke like him...but now as he listens to Rose's double heartbeat he finally realised…he felt a tear slip down his cheek and onto Rose's skin. He had never given into his temptations because she was human and he was a Time Lord and now the roles were reversed…life wasn't fair at all.

DWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDW

Rose stepped into Jack's cell and stared at the dirt covered man, she sighed.

"Don't pity me Rose" Jack spat out.

"They have killed you more than usual" Rose whispered.

"Because I was furious, I screamed and tried to break out and kill them all the sick bastards"

"What have they done Jack?"

"they killed her…but they did more than kill her, they brought her up her alive and raped her in front of me, killed her before me" Jack broke down into sobs and Rose tried to hug him, though it was more awkward. "She reminded me of you, Gwen Cooper, she was so much like you and now she's gone"

Rose stroked Jack's hair murmuring "one more month, it'll be ok, just one more month" over and over again.

DWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDW

A month went by and they pulled a revolution only to have it stopped and Jack being shot once again by the laser screwdriver, the Jones family had a severe beating though not as bad as Rose and the Doctor…the beating was aired on the TV and Rose knew Martha was watching this.

The night was excruciatingly slow; she knew the Master was down in London to drag Martha back up. She sat there on the edge of the bed clinging to the Doctor's hand tightly.

"It's going to end in the morning" Rose whispered "the Master won't have the chance to actually conquer the rest of the universe"

"So why are you so scared?" the Doctor asked.

"Because I don't know what's going to happen to you" Rose said tearfully, the Doctor pulled her in for a hug and pressed a kiss on her temple.

"I love you, no matter what happens"

"I love you too"

DWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDW

The Master had them all in the conference room, stood in the same place before as he destroyed the gun UNIT had developed.

"What a terrible companion" the Master said "useless! Looks like you don't have the Doctor's knack for picking the best Rosie my dear. Oh well can't be perfect can you?"

Martha suddenly started to giggle.

"What's so funny?" the Master asked.

"Did you really think that, that was it? That I would foolishly let myself be caught out like that?" Martha asked.

"Well you are a stupid ape" the Master said causing both Rose and the Doctor to flinch.

"Do you even know what I was doing travelling round the world?" Martha asked.

The Master shrugged "tell me" he said sitting down on the stairs.

"I told a story" Martha said simply "that's all, no weapons just words. I did what Rose said and travel round the continents and found people and then I told them my story. I told them about Rose and everything she has done and then I told them to pass it on so everyone would know about her"

"Faith and hope, is that all?" the Master asked smiling in disbelieve.

"No" Martha said "because I followed an instruction just like Rose said" the Jones family stared at Martha in disbelieve "that if everyone thought two words at one moment then-"

"Nothing would happen" the Master said loudly interrupting Martha. "Is that your weapon, prayer?"

"Right across the world, two words, one thought, one exact moment with fifteen satellites" the Master rose up slowly with his eyebrows high in his hair line.

"What?"

"The Archangel Network" Jack said grinning.

"A telepathic field where every human is thinking the same thing at the same time at the right moment and those two words are…Bad Wolf"

The countdown reached to zero and suddenly a silver light caught the Master's eye, he turned round to see Rose glowing silver.

"No, no, no, don't you dare. Stop it" the Master said.

"Bad Wolf" Jack said grinning insanely.

"Bad Wolf, Bad Wolf" Francine and Tish whispered under their breaths.

"Bad Wolf, Bad Wolf" the crowds below shouted.

"Bad Wolf" Martha said smiling widely.

"Bad Wolf" the Doctor whispered in Rose's ear.

"Stop it! Just stop it!" the Master shouted.

Everyone kept chanting the two words even Lucy the Master's wife joined in.

"I had a whole year to tune myself into the psychic network and to integrate myself into the matrixes"

"I order you to stop!" the Master bellowed.

Everyone kept chanting the two words.

"One thing you can't do is stop them thinking" Rose snarled. "Now you seem to have forgotten that I am connected to the TARDIS, I have been since I was nineteen. Using my connection with the TARDIS and the new connection with the Archangel Network I can break the paradox machine"

"NO!" the Master held up his laser screwdriver at Rose who merely waved her hand and sent it flying our of the Master's hand.

"I am Rose Tyler, Bad Wolf and I break the paradox machine" Rose shouted waving her hands in what Jack thought was silly gestures.

Inside the TARDIS the paradox machine slowly snapped away, breaking off. Suddenly everyone else was flung to the floor and everything began to spin round quickly.

One of Rose's hands was taken by the Doctor and the other by Martha. "Time is averting!" she shouted as they began to spin faster and faster. She laughed gleefully on the top of her voice with Martha and the Doctor giggling with her.

Suddenly everything stopped spinning and papers fluttered everywhere. Rose stood up slowly her hand still holding the Doctor's which seemed to have gone limp, she turned to see that the Doctor wasn't there anymore that she was holding just a hand. She dropped it in horror and felt her chest tighten…the Doctor he was made in the year that she…

"Rose?" Martha said quietly.

"We gone back one year and one day" Rose said flatly "its two minutes past eight in the morning. The year never happened; it is the year that never was. Just a fairytale, a nightmare" or a tragic love story in her case.

"What about the spheres?" Martha asked.

"Trapped back at the end of the universe" Rose said surprised that she can even speak, but then again her voice sounded monotone.

"But I can remember it" Francine said wonderingly.

"We were at the eye of the storm" Rose's voice choked at the word storm. "We'll be the only ones that ever know"

The Master got up and began to run towards the door only to be caught by Jack. "Whoa big fellow, where are you going? You're going to miss the party. Cuffs" the guard handed Jack a pair of cuff and he handcuffed the Master. "So what do we do with him?"

"We kill him" Clive said.

"Execute him" Tish agreed heatedly.

"That's not always the solution" Rose said quietly, though a huge part of her wanted to kill the Master as well…but like she said before, the Doctor wouldn't have wanted that.

"Oh I think so" Francine said holding a gun up "because of all those things still happened, because of him. I saw them"

"Go on" the Master whispered "do it"

Rose walked up to her slowly and took Francine's wrist gently "Francine, you're better than him" she whispered, Francine let out a muffled sob before dropping the gun and clinging onto Rose sobbing properly. Martha then took Francine out of Rose's arms and Rose turned round to face the Master.

"You didn't answer the question. What are you going to do to me?" the Master asked.

"You're my responsibility" Rose said quietly though she would love him to disappear forever.

"You can't trust him" Jack hissed.

"I'm not an idiot Jack" Rose said "the only thing I'm going to do is lock him up in a room in the TARDIS…forever"

"You're just going to keep me?"

"I don't want to but the Doctor would never want me to become a murderer for your sake" Rose turned to talk to the other Jones's when suddenly a gunshot could be heard. They turned to see Lucy holding the gun. Jack went and took it out of the woman's hand and he held the practically cationic woman to his chest as she stood there wide eyed.

Rose stared at Lucy for a while; she couldn't blame the poor woman. After all she fell in love with a maniac that obviously abused her, that seeked out another woman right before her nose and never actually said a kind word to her. Rose couldn't bring herself to care about the Master, she just walked towards the door with all intentions to scream and cry in the TARDIS when she felt someone grab hold of her ankle beneath her robes. She looked down to see the Master shivering on the floor.

"Always the woman isn't it? You're a bunch of cunning snakes"

"Yes we are" she then kicked him off of her and carried on walking.

The moment she entered into the TARDIS she fell to the floor sobbing, shivering, and screaming. The year that never was, he never was, he never kissed her, he never declared his love for her, he never held her, he never made love to her, he never was.

She felt someone pick her up and hold her to them and from the smell she knew it was Jack.

"He never was, he never was Jack, and he never was" she repeated as he rubbed small circles on her back.

DWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDW

She had the Master and the Doctor's hand cremated together, she built the funeral pyre herself and she stood there alone, the fire reflecting in her empty hazel eyes, making them look amber.

The next two days she spent it fixing the TARDIS, Martha stood there watching Rose finish up. Rose now wore black jeans, emerald green t-shirt and a black leather jacket, her hair was pulled up in a ponytail and she had oil smudge on her cheek. To anyone else Rose looked young and lively, to Martha she looked old and tired.

"I can't stay here" Martha blurted out causing Rose to look up at her. "I'm sorry Rose, I loved travelling with you but I can't stay here"

"Why not?" Rose asked.

"My family needs me, after everything that happened…well we're going family counselling to sort things out and I can't travel with you anymore not after this"

"I'm sorry" Rose whispered "you're mother was right, I am dangerous"

"Yes but I knew that on the first day, I chose this life and I knew the consequences could be grave…I need to stay here, be with my family…I'm sorry"

"No it's all right I understand" Rose said "if it was me I would do the same" except she wouldn't if it was her and the Doctor she would stay with him but she'll visit her mother more often…but then again she was in love with the Doctor, it's not like Martha was in love with her.

"I got your number in my phone" Martha said waving it in the air "so when I call, you better answer missus"

"Don't worry I will" Rose said smiling, she then held her arms out and the two girls embraced.

"I'm going to miss you Rose"

"Me too" Rose whispered "take care Dr Jones, make me proud"

"I will" Martha promised beaming at her as she walked out the TARDIS backwards and slowly. The moment the door shut behind her Jack turned to face Rose.

"No" Rose whispered "please no"

"I have to go home Rose, they need me as well. I spent a year hearing about them being dead, _watching _one of them being murdered before my eyes. They're my family as well"

"I need you!" Rose shouted "I can't be on my own, please just one more adventure and then I'll take you home. I promise"

"One more adventure and I go home. If I don't then I'll knock you out and drive the TARDIS myself" Jack said warningly.

"Just one more adventure" Rose promised.


	15. Time Crash

**Previously:**

"_I will" Martha promised beaming at her as she walked out the TARDIS backwards and slowly. The moment the door shut behind her Jack turned to face Rose._

"_No" Rose whispered "please no"_

"_I have to go home Rose, they need me as well. I spent a year hearing about them being dead, __watching __one of them being murdered before my eyes. They're my family as well"_

"_I need you!" Rose shouted "I can't be on my own, please just one more adventure and then I'll take you home. I promise"_

"_One more adventure and I go home. If I don't then I'll knock you out and drive the TARDIS myself" Jack said warningly._

"_Just one more adventure" Rose promised._

Rose walked over to the console and pulled down a lever, suddenly the TARDIS rolled over throwing Jack and Rose onto the floor as a loud alarm could be heard.

"Ow, ow, ow" Rose shouted as her back kept knocking the captains chair.

"What did you do?" Jack shouted over the alarm.

"Me? What made you think I did anything?" Rose snapped, getting up and pressing a couple of buttons stopping the shaking and alarm. "Stop it! Stop it! What was that all about, hey?" she began to move round the console and Jack took it as an opportunity to stare at her bum "Jack stop staring" she shouted over her shoulder.

"How many times do I have to tell you Harkness buy me a drink first!" a northern voice snapped, someone bumping into Rose.

"Excuse me" Rose said absently.

"Out of the way you stupid ape"

Rose looked up and stared in shock, standing beside her was the Doctor, her first Doctor. He turned round as well and stared at Rose.

"What?" Rose practically growled.

"What!" the Doctor shouted.

The two of them stepped to face each other. "What!" Rose said again.

"This is all Jack's fault" the Doctor decided.

"Oh yes because everything is my fault" two Jacks snapped.

DWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDW

"What the bloody hell have you and Harkness done now?" the Doctor demanded glaring at Rose.

"Oh this is brilliant" Rose said getting the Doctor to glare at her even more "well I mean this shouldn't be happening and the universe if going to go bang in five minutes but brilliant"

"Did she get knocked on the head or something?" the Doctor asked Jack.

"She is a little mental, grieve does that to people" older Jack said staring at Rose with concern in his eyes.

"Blimey I look old" young Rose said staring at older Rose "how long have you been travelling with the Doctor?"

"Rose how many times have I told you about not messing with timelines?" the Doctor snapped looking weary.

"About 567 times" older Rose said thoughtfully "but to be fair 361 times was more aimed at Jack than me"

"I don't know why, I haven't done anything" both Jacks said.

"Two words...GAS- MASKED ZOMBIES" older Rose and the Doctor shouted.

"You make one mistake, just one and it will forever bite you in the backside" older Jack grumbled.

"Hey where's you?" younger Rose asked the Doctor "you got me, you got Jack but we haven't got a future you"

"Good point, where is my good for nothing future self?" the Doctor asked "don't tell me I bloody regenerated into a wimpy pretty boy"

"Erm..." older Jack said trying to figure out how to break the news that the next Doctor was certainly a gorgeous pretty boy with a nice ass.

"you know we can't tell you anything about the future" Rose said calmly "now excuse me I need to work on my TARDIS, something seems to be wrong and I really don't need you and Jack having another argument and you banging on about being ginger or not!"

Rose turned to the console. "_Your _TARDIS excuse me she's mine!" the Doctor growled.

"Screw you, I've been connected to her for years" Rose snarled.

"Oh how I wish we could" both Jacks muttered.

Suddenly there was an alarm and both older Rose, older Jack and the Doctor began to run round the console.

"It's a level five alarm" older Jack shouted.

"Indicating a temporal collision" the Doctor said "it's like two TARDIS's have merged"

"Well they have, mine and yours!" Rose snapped.

"Two hearts of the TARDIS are having a war inside...that's a paradox" the Doctor said gruffly, glaring at both Jack and Rose who waved innocently at him. "It could blow a hole in the space continuum with the size of..." Rose turned the monitor to him which beeped "as Belgium" the Doctor ended in a disappointed voice.

Younger Rose and Jack were sniggering.

"Well that is a bit undramatic" the Doctor said to himself.

"We had enough drama as it is today" older Jack muttered to himself thinking about the Human Doctor, the Master and Rose.

"What is that supposed to mean?" the Doctor asked, he stared at Jack and Rose. "The two of you...Jack you're wrong...Rose you're...what happened?"

"You know we can't tell you" older Rose said "can't mess with the timelines and all"

"The pair of you look so old" the Doctor said "how old are you exactly?"

"Roughly two hundred" older Jack muttered under his breath.

"Can't remember lost track of time after a while" older Rose said shrugging.

Another alarm went off "level ten, two minutes till Belgium" the Doctor said fiddling with some controls. He looked at older Jack and Rose "so go on then where am I?"

"We can't tell you!" Rose shouted "you spent god knows how long teaching me and Jack not to mess with timelines and you're doing it yourself, what a bloody northern big eared idiot!"

"Well sorry but he's wrong and I need to know what the bloody hell happened" the Doctor said glaring at older Jack.

"The last battle" older Rose said quietly "and that's all I'm telling you"

Suddenly the Closter bells began to ring.

"What!" the Doctor shouted.

"That's our cue Rosie Pose!" older Jack shouted running round the console with older Rose.

"What are you two doing?" the Doctor growled. "In any minute we'll be creating a black hole strong enough to swallow up the entire universe!"

"Yeah that's my fault" older Rose said "I was rebuilding the TARDIS and forgot to put the shields back up. And my TARDIS and your TARDIS – well the same TARDIS just different time zones collided making this whole mess up but don't worry me and Jack know exactly what to do"

"Venting the thermo buffer!" older Jack shouted rotating something.

"Flooring the helmic regulator" older Rose shouted, she began to type something quickly "and to finish off lets set of these spherical crystals" the Doctor caught her wrist in a vice like grip.

"You'll blow up the TARDIS" he growled.

"It's the only way" older Rose said.

"Who told you that?" the Doctor demanded.

"They did" older Jack said pointing the younger version of him and Rose.

Suddenly there was an explosion and everything went white. When the white light cleared up the Doctor and his companions stared in disbelieve as older Rose and Jack high fived each other.

"Supernova and black hole at the exact same instant," the Doctor marvelled "that's fantastic!"

"The explosion cancels out the implosion," older Rose shrugged, a smug smile forming on her lips.

"How did you do that?" the Doctor asked "I never thought Jackie Tyler's daughter and sir Flirts-a-lot can drive the TARDIS as well as I can"

"Oi I'm Pete Tyler's daughter as well!" both Roses snapped.

"And funny enough I'm not all about flirting" older Jack said sulkily crossing his arms.

The Doctor raised an eyebrow.

"Human memories don't fade you know" older Rose said.

"So that's how you two did it, you remember standing there watching yourselves save the universe, paradox! I told you Rose Marion Tyler-"

"Shut it big ears" Rose growled, glaring fiercely at the Doctor. Another alarm went off. "Oops TARDIS's are separating, time for you lot to go"

"Goodbye handsome" older Jack said pulling the younger Jack in for a snog. He then broke away "blimey I can snog well, goodbye sweetheart see you in a second" older Jack pulled younger Rose in for a chaste kiss "and you big ears-"

"Not going to happen" the Doctor said stepping away from older Jack.

Older Rose snickered "oh just you wait" she said smirking.

The Doctor turned to her and cupped her face "I don't know what happened to you and Jack but I'm sorry"

"Don't be" older Rose whispered "everyone lives"

"Well almost everyone that son of a bitch certainly didn't" older Jack mumbled looking a bit gleeful.

The Doctor leaned down and kissed older Rose on her forehead. "I'm still sorry" he mumbled against her skin.

And then suddenly he and younger Jack and Rose vanished.

"Oh Rose remember to put your shields up" the Doctor's voice echoed through the TARDIS.

Suddenly a foghorn could be heard as boat ploughed through the TARDIS, both Rose and Jack fell to the floor staring up at it in disbelieve.

"What!" Rose said staring up at it.

"You didn't put the bloody shields up!" Jack snapped.

"What!" Rose got on her knees and picked up the rubber ring that fell of the ship, it read Titanic. "_What!?_"


	16. Voyage of the Damned

**Previously:**

_Suddenly a foghorn could be heard as boat ploughed through the TARDIS, both Rose and Jack fell to the floor staring up at it in disbelieve. _

"_What!" Rose said staring up at it. _

"_You didn't put the bloody shields up!" Jack snapped. _

"_What!" Rose got on her knees and picked up the rubber ring that fell of the ship, it read Titanic. "What!?"_

Rose dropped the rubber ring on to the floor and ran to the console, she began to spin something and Jack watched in awe as the walls of the TARDIS fixed themselves.

"Didn't the Doctor once boast that Genghis Khans men couldn't get in here?" Jack asked "so how the hell did that happen?"

"Because I didn't put the shields up, without them the TARDIS is completely defenceless, poor girl" Rose said stroking the TARDIS's console. "I'll put them up now to avoid more damage and then Captain we have a date on a boat"

"Brilliant, I can drown all over again" Jack muttered sarcastically.

"We'll get off before the boat sinks, I promise!" Rose shouted over her shoulder as she wandered into a corridor.

"Where are you going?" Jack hollered after her.

"We're going to a party right? I need to dress up and so do you"

DWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDW

Rose swallowed hard as she pulled out a dress, the dress in her hands were in Marion Smith's belongings, technically it was from 1909 but neither she or Martha were careful when they packed things for Marion Smith. It was a pink silk Edwardian dress with a high white lace neck carefully trimmed with forest green, black or ivory silk. Part of Rose felt like she was betraying Marion and James by wearing it, after all she wasn't Marion Smith. She slowly began to change into the dress, wishing that she could actually keep the leather jacket.

She walked up to the console room slowly and found Jack in his tux looking rather dashing and charming.

"Ready to sweep some innocent girl off of her feet Prince Charming" Rose said sweetly.

"Well I'm hoping that some hot dashing bloke or sweet looking lady will come my way" Jack said winking. "Dame Rose may I have the pleasure of escorting you to the sinkable ship"

"Why yes Captain Harkness you may" Rose said slipping an arm through Jack's and allowing him to lead her out of the TARDIS. They entered into what seemed like to be a storeroom. "Classy Harkness you really know how to show a girl a good time" Rose said sarcastically.

"C'mon the party is this way" Jack said tugging Rose along.

"How can you be so sure?"

"Because I'm following the sounds of music"

"Oh bother" Rose said rolling her eyes.

They entered a richly furnished room where soft music played gently in the background as people chattered and clinked glasses. Scattered round the room were golden angels in white robes. Jack whistled.

"Don't remember this room the last time I went on the Titanic" Jack said.

Rose walked up to a window "Jack I don't think this is the Titanic you went on"

"Oh whys that?" Jack asked

_Attention all passengers. The Titanic is now in orbit above Sol three, also known as Earth. Population: Human, Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to Christmas." _An electronic voice said through a speaker.

"That's why" Rose said and the two of them stared down at Earth which glowed prettily with its usual Earth light.

"So what time are we?" Jack asked.

"Erm...Christmas?" Rose offered, she turned round and found a touch screen "maybe this will tell us" she touched the screen. The logo immediately peeled backward to reveal a bald man with vivid blue eyes and a narrow moustache.

"Max Capricorn Cruise liners," the man said proudly.

"Who's the cue ball?" Jack asked.

"Shh," Rose hissed a finger on her lips.

"The fastest. The furthest. The best," the man boasted. "And I should know because my name is Max," he finished with a smile, and Rose caught the glint of a gold tooth. The grinning face of Max was replaced by the star ship logo once more.

"Wow I feel so knowledgeable about my whereabouts" Jack said sarcastically. "Come on Rosie Pose lets work it out ourselves"

DWDWDWDWDWDWDW

They found themselves in a casino like room where people were gambling, eating and dancing. Christmas carols could be heard and everyone was bustling with excitement.

"Very festive, very atmospheric" Rose said grinning, glad to see that her far too old fashioned dress wasn't going to stand out.

"Merry Christmas" one of the stewards said as they walked past.

"Oh it certainly is" Jack said his voice filled to the brim with innuendo as he watched the stewards retreating form carefully.

"Stop it!" Rose said.

"Oh come on! It's a party what am I supposed to do?" Jack protested.

Rose sighed "go on, go and introduce yourself but you're not bringing your one nighter into the TARDIS or against her in fact"

"As if I would do that! The girl would cut of my hot water supply" Jack said over his shoulder as he walked towards the crowds.

Rose however decided it would be best if she worked out more on what time they were in and where exactly where this ship came from. She strolled up casually to a golden angel and beamed up at it.

"Evening," she said politely to it. "Passenger fifty-seven. Terrible memory, Remind me. Uh, you would be...?"

"Information," the robotic angel spoke. "Heavenly Host supplying tourist information."

"Where have we come from?" she asked it.

"Information," the Host started again. "The Titanic is en route from the planet Sto in the Cassavalian Belt. The purpose of the cruise is to experience primitive cultures."

"So, why Earth?" Rose shrugged. "They aren't _that _primitive-"

"Information," the host turned its black eye sockets to her again. "All designations are chosen by Mr Max Capricorn, president of Max—Max—Max…"

The host's head started twitching, as it repeated the word Max in higher and higher pitch. Rose took a step back. "Ooh, bit of a glitch," she mumbled to herself reaching into the pink silk purse she took with her for the sonic screwdriver. Before the sonic was out, a steward raced over.

"Apologies ma'am," he addressed her. "We can handle this," he waved to some additional stewards to assist him, and with the flick of a wrist, switched the host off and they started carrying it away. "Software problem, that's all. Leave it with us. Merry Christmas to you."

"Merry Christmas" Rose replied with a smile which immediately fell when she heard a crash and Jack shouting, she turned round and ran up to Jack who was yelling at another man as a blonde woman was picking up smashed pieces of glass. "Here let me help" she said as she bent down to pick the glass up.

"Don't you walk away from me!" Jack shouted waving a fist in the air about to move towards the man when Rose grabbed hold of his ankle.

"Jack, he's not worth it" she said tiredly.

Jack glowered at the man who was complaining loudly about the staff before he bent down to help out the blonde waitress and Rose.

"You shouldn't have done that" the blonde said quietly "we're used to be treated like this, after all we are staff"

"Staff have rights" Jack said stubbornly "Rose this is Astrid Peth, this lovely lady has been keeping me company while you were playing with the angel thing, though in my opinion she is the angel"

Astrid blushed and looked down at her hands "I just bring the drinks sir, ma'am"

"Please Astrid I have told you to call me Jack" Jack practically purred causing both Rose and Astrid to blush.

"You can call me Rose" Rose said quickly to cover up both girls embarrassment.

"Err...thanks" Astrid looked awkward for a moment before she went into staff mode "are you enjoying the cruise?"

"It's all right" Rose said shrugging.

Jack snorted "she's a riot" he said sarcastically before turning to Astrid. "What about yourself Astrid Peth? Long way from home, Planet Sto."

"Doesn't feel that different.," Astrid shrugged. "I spent three years working at the spaceport diner, travelled all the way here…and I'm still waiting on tables," she raised her eyebrows, looking unimpressed at herself, then bobbed her head and walked toward a table by the window.

Jack turned to Rose with a hopeful look.

"Oh no Jack, no, no, no, no" Rose said shaking her head and crossing her arms.

"Please Rosie" Jack pleaded giving her his famous puppy dog eyes look.

"NO! You said so yourself that you aren't staying longer than this one adventure so why should I allow your latest flame to come with?"

"Because you need someone" Jack whispered "and she dreams of travelling, the two of you can get on well"

"I'll think about it" Rose said "but I'm not making any promises"

DWDWDWDWDWDWDWDW

They made friends with a lovely fat couple dressed in purple velvet called Morvin and Foon, who seemed chatty and rather sweet. They were also under the naive believe that Rose and Jack were married, no matter how many times they tried to deny it.

"_Attention please. Shore leave tickets Red six-seven now activated. Red six-seven." _Said the voice on the speaker.

Morvin took a ticket out of his pocket. "Red six-seven! That's us," he said to Foon. They stood up and turned to Jack and Rose. "Are you Red six-seven?"

"Don't know" Rose said looking at Jack "are we?"

"Might as well be" Jack said shrugging.

Rose pulled out the psychic paper "then yes we are"

Morvin and Foon hurried toward a small gathering of people crowded around an old man dressed in tweed, holding up a red sign with '6-7' printed on it.

"Red six-seven. Red six-seven. This way, fast as you can," the old man was calling.

"Hold on a minute" Jack said running off.

"Jack, what are you doing?" Rose called after him, almost immediately he came back with Astrid on tow...he really was determined for Rose to find a new companion wasn't he? "Are you sure Jack?" she asked.

"She's right" Astrid said looking worried "I'd get the sack!"

"Oh come on Astrid live a little, let your gorgeous hair down, think about it, a brand new sky" Jack said in a low seductive voice...if Rose says yes to having Astrid on board she will make rule number one don't talk about what Jack is like in bed, there are some things a girl doesn't need to know about her honouree brother.

The old man at the head of the crowd put down his red sign and addressed everyone."To repeat, I am Mr Copper, the ship's historian," he introduced, "and I shall be taking you to old London town in the country of U.K. ruled over by good King Wenceslas."

Rose and Jack looked each other from the corner of their eyes trying their hardest not to laugh.

"Now," Mr Copper continued, "human beings worshipped the great god Santa, a creature with fearsome claws, and his wife Mary."

Rose bit her lip hard trying her best to not giggle when Jack pressed a fist against his mouth to block the chuckles.

"And every Christmas Eve the people of U.K. go to war with the country of Turkey."

Rose turned away from Mr Copper and buried her head into Jack's shoulders giggling as Jack suddenly 'coughed' loudly.

"They then eat the Turkey people for Christmas dinner… like savages," Mr Copper continued.

Finally Jack couldn't take it anymore and started to laugh hysterically. "Excuse me, sorry, sorry," he called out. "But, um…where did you get all this from?"

"Well, I have a first class degree in Earthonomics. Now stand by..." Mr Copper said nervously.

"And me! And me! Red six-seven!" a voice shouted from behind them. The ticket holders turned, to see a short, red-spiked alien in a tuxedo shuffling through the crowd holding a red ticket.

Mr Copper turned around. "Well, take a bracelet, sir," he handed another metal bracelet over.

Rose and Jack exchanged nervous looks, they both knew if UNIT or a different branch of Torchwood caught the sight of this little guy then they'll all spend the rest of their lives in a holding cell. "Uh, but, um, hold on, hold on," Rose said looking down at the small red alien. "What was your name?"

"Bannakaffalatta," the alien answered confidently.

Rose sighed, what was it with aliens and having long names? "OK, Bannakaffalatta. But its Christmas Eve down there," she addressed Mr Copper now, but the man didn't seem to be listening. "Late-night shopping, tons of people. He's like a walking conker."

Rose didn't register the warm fuzzy feeling that came over her body when suddenly she was on a street. "No offence, but you'll cause a riot because the streets are going to be packed with shoppers and parties and…oh." Rose turned on the spot, confused.

"Why's it empty?" Jack asked quickly.

Astrid sighed happily. "It's beautiful."

"But what happened to everyone?" Rose asked loudly.

"They fled the city" the three of them turned to see an old man by the newspaper stand. He had a grey and white beard and wore a red hat and brown coat, his gloved hands clutching a polystyrene cup filled with tea. "After all London is no longer safe at Christmas"

"What do you mean?" Astrid asked looking wide eyed.

"Well first there was that giant rock ship with all the people with a positive blood on the roofs"

"That was the Doctor's fault" Rose murmured "but he stopped the Scyorax in time"

"Then there was that Christmas Star" the old man said. "Christmas is no longer safe here. Though our good Queen Elizabeth doesn't believe it and refuses to leave Buckingham palace, god bless that woman. I'm following her example"

"Good for you!" Rose said warmly "but all the mystery is up there, London is safe"

"It's those damn aliens!" the old man cursed "they just can't seem to leave us alone, I told my daughter and granddaughter. My daughter thinks I'm nuts but my granddaughter believes me, claims she saw an alien as well and I believe her, because my Don-"

Suddenly they were pulled back onto the ship and the old man faded out of their sight.

"I was talking to him!" Rose shouted in protest.

Mr Copper cut in hurriedly. "Yes, I'm sorry about that. A bit of a problem. If I could have your bracelets-"

The steward who'd shut down the host before joined Mr Copper. "Apologies, ladies and gentlemen, Bannakaffalatta, we seem to have suffered a slight power fluctuation," he smiled. "If you'd like to return to the festivities. And on behalf of Max Capricorn Cruise liners, free drinks will be provided."

The ticket holders seemed to like this idea and walked off rather quickly.

"looks like I'm going to be busy serving free drinks" Astrid sighed, she turned round and kissed Jack on the cheek "thank you, that was the best thing ever!"

"no problem" Jack said looking slightly dazed, if Rose didn't know Jack any better she would have said that he was falling for Astrid. However she was far more interested in what the steward said.

"What sort of power fluctuation?"

DWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDW

After getting nothing from any of the stewards or Hosts, Rose and Jack hacked into the Max Capricorn Cruise liners system of the ship, only to find that the shields were down. After trying to warn everyone and having no one listening to them, three meteoroids hit the ship and threw them down to the floor.

"Is it over?" Rose whispered.

"Think so" Jack groaned as he got up slowly, he stared at his shirt which was stained crimson "crap I thought I died, bit hard to tell when it was possible to only be knocked unconscious"

"JACK!" Jack was suddenly almost knocked over by Astrid who looked terrified.

"Ev-everyone…Ladies and gentlemen, Bannakaffalatta, I must apologize on behalf of Max Capricorn Cruise liners. We seem to have had a small accident." One of the stewards said shakily.

Suddenly the Hosts began to attack everyone. It became obvious that they were doing what they were programmed for and Rose managed to get through to someone on the bridge and she began to give them some instructions. Soon the Hosts stopped and disappeared.

Everyone all right? Rose?" Jack called out

"Yeah," she said distractedly.

"Foon, Morvin?" a gasp and a wave from her, along with a nod from her husband. "Mr. Copper?" a quick nod. "Bannakaffalatta?" The little red man, who had nearly joined the Steward, nodded and clutched to his little chest. " Astrid?" the waitress nodded silently before burring her head into Jack's shoulder, Jack tightened his grip on her waist "And you, what was your name?"

The man in the antique suit, who had insulted Astrid earlier and almost got into a fight with, nodded, straightening his tie. "Rickston Slade."

"You all right?" Rose asked.

"No thanks to that idiot," Slade replied.

"That man was just killed!" Astrid protested.

"Then he's a dead idiot," Slade countered.

"OI!" Astrid bellowed, looking as if she was about to slap Slade, Jack tightened his grip on her.

"Sweetheart you don't want to end up in a fight, not now. Rose what's the plan?"

"We need to get to the bridge and stop this ship from crashing down onto Earth"

We're going to die," Foon exclaimed, and everyone else started talking around her.

Rose held her hands up for quiet. "Now, just first things first. One, We are going to climb through this ship. Two, We are going to reach the bridge. Three, we are going to save the Titanic. And finally four, we're going to save Earth. Now let's go"

"Hang on a minute. Who put you in charge? Just who the hell are you, anyway?" Slade demanded to know looking sulky.

"My name is Rose Tyler, I'm a Time Lady, I'm from Earth , yes that's right the planet below us and I'm going to save all of your lives and the six billion below us. Have you got a problem with that?" Rose's hazel eyes glow dangerously with anger causing Slade to back away a few steps.

"No" he said ducking to look at his feet.

DWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDW

_He sat there on his favourite hill...well not his favourite since there wasn't that many around but it was a nice high hill far away from the Tyler mansion, not that he hated the mansion or anything but with Jackie Tyler, Mickey's Gran and Tony the incredibly loud shrieking toddler (so obviously Jackie's son) being out in the peace and quiet was nice. He sighed, he missed the TARDIS, he missed the freedom of going everywhere he wished but the thing he missed most of all was Rose. _

"_Oh Rose" he whispered staring up at the stars "I wish you were here, it's no fun without you. I wonder what you're doing"_

_For a year he had an ongoing nightmare where he was human and practically enslaved by the Master, Rose wore Galifreyan robes and had two hearts, Jack was immortal and wrong, chained to the wall and everything depended on some woman called Martha Jones. His therapist thought that he wanted a fantasy where everything was much worse than this situation to remind him that life isn't so bad. Somehow he didn't believe that, the dreams felt very real and a few nights he actually woke with a bruise from the Master's torture or his lips swollen from Rose's kisses and his pants sticky with cum...but they can't be real can they?_

"_There you are, told you we would find him here Jake"_

_The Doctor inwardly groaned as Mickey and Jake threw themselves on either side of him both holding a four pack of beer. _

"_Mate are you in one of your depressed moods again?" Jake asked._

"_Yes" the Doctor hissed between gritted teeth "got a problem with that?"_

"_No, no" Jake said quickly. _

"_We thought we would keep you company" Mickey said "we brought beer"_

"_I can see that, you do realise that alcohol does not work on my superior physiology" the Doctor said smirking slightly. _

_Both men snorted. _

"_Boss we were there at the Christmas party" Mickey said as Jake sniggered. _

"_What happened?" the Doctor said remembering that he might allowed himself to get drunk in hopes that he wouldn't dream that night. _

"_You declared your undying love to Jackie" Jake said in between laughs as Mickey shook with silent laughter. _

"_Did I do something else?" the Doctor muttered, praying that he didn't. _

"_Nothing funny" Mickey said causing him and Jake to sober up from their laughter. _

"_What did I do?"_

"_You kept crying, saying it was your fault, that everything was your fault and then you kept asking for Rose, kept saying 'tell her that I love her, tell her before its too late'"_

"_No wonder you need a therapist" Jake muttered "too many unresolved issues"_

"_I had a bad chi-"_

"_A bad childhood, we know, we know" Jake and Mickey said in unison, rolling their eyes. _

_The men remained silent as they stared up at the stars, suddenly, slowly, one by one...the stars were disappearing. _

"_What?" the Doctor said "that's impossible, it can't...what..."_

"_Torchwood" Mickey said firmly getting up. _

"_So much for a peaceful Saturday night" Jake said sighing. _

DWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDW

Everyone but Slade, Astrid and Mr Copper was dead. Rose and Jack left the three in a lounge while they went to the docks below to question whoever it was that did this, to their surprise it was Max Capricorn.

"This interview is terminated," Max Capricorn commanded.

"Hold on!" Jack said jumping between Rose and the Hosts as the Hosts pull off their halos, so much for them being angelic.

"No, no, no, no, no, no!" Rose said shaking her head, pushing Jack gently to the side. "Hold on! Hold on! Hold on! Wait! Wait! Wait! Wait! Wait! I can work it out. It's like a task," she babbled, Jack was wondering if she was hyper or something "So…Business is failing and you wreck the ship so that makes things even worse. Oh yes! No. Yes!" she shouted, turning to Jack. "The business isn't failing."

"It's failed already," Jack said in realisation. "Past tense."

"So that's the plan," Rose snarled "A retirement plan. Two-thousand on this ship, six billion underneath us, all of them slaughtered. And why? Because Max Capricorn is a loser."

"I never lose," Max hissed, rolling forward.

"You can't even sink the Titanic!" Jack jibed a sneer on his face.

"Ha!" Capricorn barked. "I can cancel the engines from here."

An alarm started to bleep immediately, a woman's voice announcing that the engines were closing.

"You can't do this!" Jack yelled.

"You can stop this, stop it now, you don't have to kill them!" Rose pleaded.

"Host, hold them!" Max ordered "Not so clever now, are you?" Max goaded. "Time for me to retire. The Titanic is falling. The sky will burn...Let the Christmas inferno commence. Oh! Oh, Host! Kill them."

"So much for not having a blood filled Christmas" Jack muttered.

"Mr Capricorn!" Astrid's voice rang out from behind them. "I resign."

The waitress pushed the forklift into gear and stepped on it, accelerating toward Max Capricorn's chamber and smashed into it before he knew what was happening. Host from all directions started throwing their halos at Astrid as she lifted the life support chamber and head of Max Capricorn off the ground. Halos smashed into the forklift but none hit Astrid as sparks flew everywhere and the wheels span, smoking.

"Astrid, don't, they've cut the break line!" Jack screamed.

Astrid flicked Jack a meaningful look, before raising the fork higher, lifting Max completely off the ground, and stepping on the accelerator, sending them both flying into the orange-lit chasm.

"No!" Jack screamed.

The Hosts suddenly let go of them, and Jack raced to the edge and leaned over. "Astrid!" Rose ran over to Jack's side and held a tight grip on his shoulder, keeping him from jumping over after the blonde woman.

"I'm so sorry Jack" she whispered.

Suddenly the Hosts surrounded them and picked them up before flying them up in the air towards the bridge.

DWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDW

After a hurried chat with the man, Jack was calling Buckingham Palace as Rose fiddled with the controls.

"Hello? Yes this is Captain Jack Harkness...look I know the Queen is still angry about what happened...look it was fifty years ago can we let it go? This is a Torchwood emergency, please? Thank you, tell the Queen to get out of the palace now, a ship might crash into it from the sky! Yes...no this isn't a ploy to get her back in my bed, just tell her!"

Rose turned to stare at Jack in a mixture of horror, amusement, curiosity and shock "you slept with Queen Elizabeth the second?"

"Yeah, she's an animal in bed" Jack said in a dream like voice almost like himself again. "now hurry up"

"Will do, will do, so what's your name?" she asked the man.

"Alonzo" the man trembled.

"Oh you are kidding me...the Doctor is so going to kill me he wanted to say this, allonsy Alonzo!"

DWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDW

"We made it!" Alonzo cried out hugging Rose.

Rose patted his back, sobering as she thought about Astrid. "Not all of us." And then she remembered something "Jack!" she squealed jumping away from Alonzo. "Teleport!"

"What?"

"Teleport bracelet" Rose said breathlessly

"Astrid was wearing one!" Jack caught on, triumph in his voice. "C'mon!" he grabbed hold of Rose's wrist and yanked her out as they raced back to the room they had been in ages ago.

Rose was using the sonic screwdriver on the panel trying her hardest to make it work because Jack deserved to see someone live.

"Mr Copper, what's the emergency code for this thing?" Jack was frantically pressing buttons on his wrist band, then dialling codes into the panel itself.

Mr Copper looked dazed. "Uh, let me see..."

"What the hell are you doing?" Alonzo asked looking confused.

"We can bring her back," Jack grinned across the room. "If a passenger has an accident on shore leave and they're still wearing their teleport, their molecules are automatically suspended and held in stasis so that we can just trigger the sh- That's it!" Jack pressed a final couple of buttons, then stepped back.

Within seconds, a glowing, transparent Astrid appeared beside him.

"I'm falling," she announced quietly.

"Only halfway there," Jack returned to the panel. "Come on, Rose, you can do this I know you can"

"I keep falling," the transparent Astrid looked confused.

"Rose, here -" Jack called out urgently, lying on the ground and pointing to the panel above. "Feed back the molecule grid, boost it with the restoration matrix!" the teleport sparked as Jack pressed more buttons. "Help me!"

"Jack, she's gone." Rose said quietly her voice dead.

"No!" Jack grated, as more sparks fell from the podium into his hair.

"She's gone, Jack," Rose repeated in the same tone.

Jack ignored her and hurried out from the podium, looking at Astrid and dusting off his hands.

She was still transparent. Jack kicked the teleport in frustration, then turned to Rose.

"You can do anything!" he screamed. "Help me save her!"

"I wish I can" Rose said feeling tears well up in her eyes. "I really do Jack but I can't"

"Stop me falling," Astrid begged.

Jack heard her this time and the anger seemed to dissipate from his face. He turned, slowly, and stepped toward Astrid.

"The system was too badly damaged. She's just atoms, Jack. An echo with the ghost of consciousness," Rose said quietly watching him carefully "She's stardust," Rose sniffed, wiping her face and watching as the transparent form took notice of Jack, standing in front of her. Seemed to focus on him.

Jack reached out a hand, and stopped before touching her, his hand shaking. "You're not falling, Astrid," he told her in a wavering voice, full of passion and grief. He tried to smile. "You're flying."

The stardust flew in a single beam out the window, into space.

Jack turned back to Rose, his face covered in tears.

"Rose" he said looking firm "Take me home."

DWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDW

They stood there side by side on the Roald Dahl Pas. Rose sighed before she turned to face Jack who looked so much like the Doctor, eyes filled with so much hurt. They had said goodbye to Mr Copper who was settled with a million pounds and prepared to live a life and now it was time to say goodbye to each other.

"I'm sorry about Astrid" Rose whispered.

"So am I...I couldn't resist, she reminded me of you and Gwen, so eager to see everything, so willing to die for what was right..."

"But she isn't dead, she's out there flying, doing what she wished to do for her whole life"

"Yeah...everyone I know is going to age and die Rose"

"Not me" Rose promised.

"Not enough, sorry Rosie but it's not enough. What's going to happen to me? Will I end like Astrid, at least that way I can spend forever with someone I might have loved..."

Rose couldn't think of what to say.

"You know I was the first person in my planet to make it in the Time Agency, they were so proud of me...they called me the Face of Boe, I was a poster boy"

Rose bit her lip to stop laughing, she couldn't believe it...Jack was the Face of Boe, Jack was going to be one of the most legendary person of all time and space.

Jack sighed and cupped Rose's face forcing her to look at him "promise me Rose, promise me that you'll find someone. Please don't be alone"

"I promise" Rose whispered.

Jack leaned in and kissed her, he pulled away and held her to him tightly. "goodbye Rosie"

"Goodbye Jack"

He then pulled away and ran off down the Pas to find his team. Rose looked up at the sky and she wondered how long will it be before she finds someone else, she watch the blue stardust of Astrid fly over the sky before she went into the TARDIS.


	17. Partners in Crime

It has been two months since Jack had left the TARDIS during those two months Rose hadn't left Earth at all. She spent them with Sarah Jane, K-9 and the newest member of the Smith family Luke. Just trying to get her bearings back, it seemed that these days Sarah Jane was the only person who can help her and Sarah Jane knew exactly what Rose needed...a distraction.

"Look what I found on the internet" Sarah Jane said at dinner passing Rose some printed out sheets.

"Sarah Jane you don't need to go on a diet" Rose said frowning "you have a perfectly fine figure"

"It's not for me, it's for you!" Sarah Jane snapped.

"Are you trying to say that I'm fat?" Rose asked pretending to be hurt, truthfully she couldn't careless if she was or not. She peered at the advert on the first page "the fat just walks away...bit cheesy isn't it?"

"Read the other pages, some theorists and experienced people like you and me think-"

"That Adipose is up to something" Rose finished flipping through the pages "that it might be alien"

"Yes and I thought it could be something you could look into, to get out and to-"

"Stop living on your sofa?"

"It's not that I don't love having you around Rose" Sarah Jane said pleadingly.

"I know I need to get out there again...its like the last time" Rose said and then she shook her head "no its worse than last time, last time I didn't have the knowledge of what it was like...last time I didn't see my friends leave me"

"You still dream of him?" Sarah Jane whispered taking Rose's hand. "You dream of that year?"

"He never was" Rose whispered back "I have to remember that. Ok I'll check out this Adipose thing out and get out of your hair...but can I come back?"

"When you need me" Sarah Jane promised. Rose got up and was about to pick up her leather jacket when Sarah Jane said "oh and Rose?"

"Yes?"

"UNIT and Torchwood aren't the only ones that know about you" Sarah Jane said quickly "someone has been searching for you, I don't know who they are but they seem rather eager...be careful in London"

"I will thank you for everything"

The two hugged briefly before Rose shouted a bye to Luke and ran off into the TARDIS, time to learn to live again.

DWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDW

She slipped through the back door easily with the help of her sonic screwdriver, someone walked passed and she flashed them her psychic paper. "Rose Tyler, Health and Safety"

She found where the meeting with reporters were being held and slipped into the projection room, leaning her elbows on the window as she watched the blonde woman – Ms Foster stand there in her black suit, matching glasses and high heels looking rather intimidating...bit like a headmistress.

"Adipose Industries" she started "the twenty first century way to lose weight, no exercise, no diet, no pain. Just a life long freedom of fat, the holy grail of the modern age" she smiled down at the audience and held out a small pill "and here it is, you take one capsule, one capsule once a day for three weeks and the fat, and the fat as they say" she turned to the screen behind her and a loud male voice echoed through the room.

"And the fat just walks away"

Rose rolled her eyes and caught the attention of the man who was staring at her, she sighed and flashed her psychic paper at him "Rose Tyler, Health and Safety...Film Department"

"Excuse me, Miss Foster, if I could?" a reporter called out. "I'm Penny Carter, science correspondent for The Observer. There are a thousand diet pills on the market, a thousand con men stealing people's money. How do we know the fat isn't going straight into your bank account?"

"Oh Penny, if cynicism burnt up calories, we'd all be as thin as rakes," Miss Foster smiled, and a couple of people in the theatre laughed. "But if you want the science, I oblige,"

"Adipose Industries," the male voice from before boomed "The Adipose capsule is composed of a synthesised mobilising lipase, bound to a large protein molecule."

It took all of Rose's control to not snort, she may have not gotten a GCSE or A-Level or a degree in science but she had been studying everything scientific for the past god knows how long and she knew this was a whole bunch of baloney, Sarah Jane was right, something was up...either that or Penny was right.

"The mobilising lipase breaks up the triglycerides stored in the adipose cells..."

Right that's it! She's bored as hell.

DWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDW

She strolled along the many cubicles filled with salespeople...god how she hates and pities them, they always call when you want dinner and everyone hates them for it. She slipped into a cubicle where a dark-skinned woman sat talking into a headphone.

"We deliver in three working days" the woman said as Rose leaned across the desk and held out her psychic paper.

"Rose Tyler, Health and Safety don't mind me" Rose whispered. The woman turned to face her and began to talk about Adipose in her business tone that she had being using on the headphone.

"Box comes with twenty one pills, full information pack and our free gift" the woman said passing a black box. Rose opened it to find a gold Adipose capsule pendent in side and held it up watching it swing side to side. "a Adipose Industries pendent, it's made from eighteen caret gold and its yours for free...no we don't give pens, sorry" Rose rolled her eyes, the woman was obviously doing a sale while informing Rose about Adipose talk about killing two birds with one stone. "No I can't make an exception, sorry" she hung up and smiled at Rose. "Sorry about that"

"I need to keep this for testing" Rose said holding up the pendent "and I need a full client list"

"Well I suppose so" the woman turned to the computer and typed a few codes before the client list was up. She then pressed print.

Rose stood up and looked round "so where's the printer?" she asked.

"Just across over there" the woman said as Rose sat back down. "Should be out in a minute"

Rose stood back up and glanced at the printer "has it got paper?" she asked

"Keeps it stocked" the woman assured Rose as Rose sat back down.

"Excuse me everyone, if I can have your attention" Ms Foster called as she walked down the pathway with two bald bodyguards. All the salespeople stood up. "On average you are selling 48 Adipose packs a day. It's not enough, I want 100 sales per person per a day and if not...you'll be replaced. If anyone's good at trimming the fat, it's me. Now back to it"

Rose watched over the top of the cubicle as the woman strolled along, so far the only thing Rose had found suspicious is lousy science and a snobby bossy know it all boss...she was going to kill Sarah Jane if this was all just a failed diet pill.

"Anyway, if you can just print off that list that'll be all thanks" Rose said smiling down at the woman.

"Yep just got it sent to the printer should be there" the woman said smiling back.

"Lovely, now that's all. Thank you" Rose got up only to be dragged down by the woman who passed her a piece of paper. "What's this then?"

"You seem to be a nice girl and my mate needs someone to get over his ex" the woman said "Health and Safety, you can be Health and he can be Safety"

"Oh...ah...err...sorry I got to go" Rose said practically running to the printer only to find nothing had been printed out, she ran back to the woman and peered over the edge nervously "ahah...me again"

DWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDW

The door opened and a skinny man in a green sweater answered. Rose put on a huge grin. "Mr Roger Davie, I'm here on the behalf of Adipose Industries" she flashed the psychic paper at the man "I just need to ask some questions and then I'll be on my way"

"Sure come in" the man said beaming "want a coffee or something?"

"No thank you sir" Rose said politely.

The man led them into a boring brown and green living room and sat himself primly on the arm chair as Rose settled onto the sofa.

"So how long have you been on Adipose?" Rose asked.

"I've been on for two weeks now" Roger said "I lost 14 kilos"

"And that's the same amount everyday?" Rose asked in disbelieve.

"One kilo exactly, you wake up and it disappears over night" Roger said happily "well technically speaking its gone by ten past one in the morning"

"What makes you say that?" Rose asked.

"That's when I get woken up...may as well get myself weighed at the same time. If there's something driving me mad is that ten past one bang on the dot without fail the burglar alarm goes off."

"Can I see this alarm?" Rose asked.

Roger led them out side and they looked up to see the red box just above the door.

"I had experts in, I had it replaced, I even had Watch Dog in but no ten past one in the morning off it goes"

"And no burglar?" Rose asked.

"No I don't even bother looking now"

"Tell me Roger...have you got a cat flap?"

He showed her into the kitchen to the cat flap that was built in the backdoor and she leaned down and looked through it.

"It came with the house, I'm not really a cat person" Roger explained.

"No...I knew a man that hated cats...but then again when you get threatened by a cat nun you have good reason to hate them" Rose murmured to herself.

"You think a cat is coming into my house?" Roger asked ignoring what Rose just said.

"Well the thing with a cat flap they just don't let things in...They let things out as well"

"Like what?" Roger asked.

"The fat just walks away" Rose murmured, her eyes widening with realisation...the fat really does walk away.

DWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDW

"Well thanks for your help" Rose said shaking Roger's hand quickly as she stepped out of the house. "Tell you what, maybe you should lay off the pills for a week or so, you don't need them now, you look great!" something began to beep "oh!" she pulled out the small device she made earlier that day and stared at it. "Got to go, sorry!" she began to run down the street to follow the signal.

She ran side to side on the street staring at the device in confusion when the signal went funny, she shook it, smacked it and then blew on it. The signal came back and she followed round the corner. She ran out into the road and jumped back as a car flew by, suddenly the device in her hand went crazy and began to run after the car but as the car began to speed up she decided to go through the alley. Suddenly the signal vanished and she ended up standing there in the alley with no lead to find what exactly was going on.

She sighed "bloody complications, oh well of to the TARDIS it is then"

DWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDW

"Oh fascinating!" Rose murmured staring through the magnifying glass. ""Seems to be a bio-video stitch-" she looked up to see no one standing there. "Martha? Jack?" she whispered hoping one of them would jump out and shouts boo or surprise.

_Rose they're not coming back _the TARDIS said calmly _you can't sit there waiting for them. _

"I know I know" Rose said impatiently "but how can I just go out there and ask? How did the Doctor do it? How could he do it?"

_He never really moved on, the amount of people that came on board were there on my pleading, I didn't want him alone either. Please Jack, Martha and Sarah Jane are right, you need to find someone. Hell even Donna Noble said so and she barely knew you!_

"Don't you like Donna?" Rose asked remembering the Christmas before last "I thought she was nice...once you got past the gobby slap happy rudeness she had"

_She would have made a fine companion, I could see all the possibilities of what she can do and I know she will be the best. _

"Hang on! _Can _and _will?_" Rose said cottoning on what the TARDIS said "as in she might be coming back? As in there's a possibility...?"

_Rose you know very well that I can't tell you the future and I refuse to tell you what I have seen, after all it might change._

"But Donna is coming back?" Rose asked eagerly.

_Donna? Who's Donna? I never heard of a Donna...I heard of a Don, nice man and bit of a charmer. _

Rose groaned she knew full and well that the TARDIS was not going to let anything slip. The TARDIS was very good at hiding things and if Rose tried anything she's most likely to never find her hairbrush for the next century. But the idea of Donna Noble in the TARDIS as a companion...someone she knew and got on well...better than having to go out there and try...

DWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDW

The next day she went once again through the back way into the Adipose offices, she then slipped into a store cupboard and used the sonic screwdriver to lock herself in, all she had to do was wait for a few hours for when the offices were empty. She pulled out a magazine and leant against the door as she read, could have been worse; she could have been locked in a dungeon cell naked.

It was ten past six when she slipped out, rolling her neck and stretching both her arms and legs, god she hated cupboards. She snuck up the stairs and got onto the roof where she ran across and climbed a ladder into the window cleaner box and then she got it moving down slowly. She stopped the box just outside of Ms Foster's office and ducked when the doors were flung open. She pulled out the stethoscope from her pocket and put it on, placing the metal bit onto the window to listen in on the conversation.

"Sit there" Ms Foster said.

"I'm phoning my editor" ah...Penny the reporter.

"I said sit"

"You can't tie me up! What sort of country do you think it is?"

"Oh it's a beautifully fat country and believe me I have travelled a long way to find obesity on this scale"

"Well go on then Ms Foster, those pills...what are they?"

"Well you might as well have the scope since you'll never see it printed. This...is the spark of life"

"And what's that supposed to mean?"

"Officially the capsule attracts all the fat cells and flushes them away. Well it certainly attracts, that part is true...but it binds the fat together and garthanise it to make a body"

"Well what do you mean? A body?"

"I am surprised that you didn't ask about my name, I chose it well. Foster as in Foster Mother and these are my children"

"Are you kidding me? What the hell is that?"

Rose slowly stood up to peer into the window.

"Adipose, it's called an Adipose"

Rose yanked of the stethoscope and saw the reporter tied to a chair, the two guards standing there gormlessly, Ms Foster walking towards the reporter and the most adorable little whit creature cooing on the desk. Rose moved her eyes and caught a flash of red hair, she moved them before going back and her eyes settled on a woman standing behind the door at the exact time the woman's eyes landed on her.

The woman's mouth dropped unattractively.

"Donna?" Rose whispered.

"Rose!" Donna mouthed.

"Wha...how?" Rose asked, oh the TARDIS is a sneaky cow, she knew didn't she?

"Oh my god!" Donna mouthed.

"How?" Rose asked wanting to know why Donna was there of all places.

"It's me!" Donna mouthed pointing to herself.

Rose rolled her eyes "yeah I can see that" she said pointing to her eyes and then at Donna who looked ecstatic.

"Oh this is brilliant!" Donna mouthed giving Rose two thumbs up.

"What the hell are you doing there?" Rose demanded pointing at Donna.

"I was looking for you!" Donna mouthed.

"What for?" Rose asked feeling a bit confused, she had the distinct impression that she had scared Donna, what the hell had changed?

Donna then began an elaborated mime that Rose didn't get at all when she suddenly stopped to stare at something in the room with a sheepish look. Rose then turned to see Ms Foster staring at them.

"Are we interrupting you?" Ms Foster asked.

"RUN!" Rose shouted and watched Donna run off, she yanked the sonic screwdriver out and locked the office door before using the sonic screwdriver to go up to the roof fast. She practically jumped down the ladder and then ran across the roof and down to the stairs, half-way down she bumped into Donna.

The hugged tightly "oh my god!" Donna gasped pulling away "look at you! You got rid of the peroxide look, that dark blonde suits you! Like the leather jacket as well"

"Thanks but now's not the best time to be swapping fashion tips" Rose said looking over the stairs to see the two guards. "Just like old times yeah?"

DWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDW

Rose used the sonic screwdriver to lock the door and began to run to the window cleaner box.

"...so I thought I had to find Rose, so then I thought I'll look for trouble and she'll turn up! So I looked everywhere, UFO sightings, crop sightings, monster you name it. Oh and the bees are disappearing and I thought that's connected. Because the thing is Rose I believe it all now, you opened my eyes and I see amazing things and believe it all...well except the replica of the Titanic flying over Buckingham Palace that's got to be a hoax"

"So it was you Sarah Jane was talking about? The one searching for me, thank god I was worried about having another LYNDA gang on my tail...what do you mean the Titanic was a hoax? I was on that! Hang on the bees are disappearing, why are the bees disappearing?" Rose asked as she climbed into the box.

"I don't know!" Donna exclaimed excitedly "but on the site there was all this conspiracy theories on Adipose Industries and I thought lets take a look"

"Come on!" Rose said over her shoulder.

"What in that thing?"

"Yes in that thing, would you like to attempt a bungee jump instead?"

"But if we go in that thing, they'll just pull us back up again"

"I used the sonic screwdriver on the controls so I'm the only one who can control it" Rose said assuring Donna who was now climbing up the ladder. "Unless she has a sonic device of her own, which is very unlikely"

The box went down slowly when suddenly a spark hit and they sped down, the pair squealed as they clung to the sides of the box. Rose managed to get hold of her sonic screwdriver and pointed at the controls stopping the box as both she and Donna fell to their knees.

"Hold on, hold on we can get through the window" Rose said using the sonic screwdriver onto the window. "I can't get it open!"

Donna bent down and picked up a spanner "smash it then!" she shouted banging the window with the spanner, Rose joined in with her fist though it didn't seem to be working. Donna then looked up "cutting the cable!" she shouted.

Rose looked up in time to see the cable snap, suddenly the box fell to the side and Donna fell out grabbing hold onto the cable kicking and screaming "DONNA!" Rose shouted.

"HELP ME!" Donna screamed.

"HOLD ON!" Rose called down.

"I AM!" Rose grabbed hold of the cable when she saw Ms Foster from the corner of her eye walking across towards the other cable. "ROSE!" Rose crawled across the box and grabbed hold of the other cable, point her sonic screwdriver to Ms Foster's hand and pressed down hard. Ms Foster dropped the sonic device she was using which Rose arched back and caught, Rose then put the sonic pen into her mouth and began to climb up the cable. She got herself onto the window ledge and used the sonic devices on it.

"I'M GOING TO FALL!" Donna screamed her voice getting hoarse. "THIS IS ALL YOUR FAULT! I SHOULD HAVE STAYED HOME!"

Rose managed to get the window open and she slipped a leg in "I WON'T BE A MINUTE" she called down to Donna. She then climbed in and landed neatly on her feet and ran as fast as she could down the stairs and into Ms Foster's office. She ran to the window and pulled out her sonic screwdriver.

"Is anyone going to tell me what's going on?" Penny asked looking annoyed.

"Are you a journalist?" Rose asked.

"Yes!"

"Well make it up!" Rose got the window open and grabbed hold of Donna's legs.

"GET OFF, GET OFF, GET OFF, GET OFF, GET OFF!" Donna screamed kicking her feet.

"I GOT YOU!" Rose shouted looking away not wanting to receive a kick in the face. "I GOT YOU!" she managed to get Donna to stop kicking and began to pull her in through the window.

Donna pulled away from Rose and tugged her suit jacket down "I was right, it's always like this with you isn't it?"

"Oh yes and off we go!" Rose said before running out of the office, Donna hot on her heels.

"Oi!" Penny shouted.

Rose ran back in and used the sonic screwdriver to untie Penny "now do yourself the favour and get out"

DWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDW

Rose and Donna stood at one end of the office while Ms Foster and her two goons stood on the other end. Rose and Donna were panting slightly while Ms Foster stood there calmly and her goons emotionlessly.

"Well then" Ms Foster said pulling her glasses off "at last"

"Hi!" Donna said nervously holding a hand up in a wave.

"Nice to meet you" Rose said cheerfully "I'm Rose"

"And I'm Donna" Donna said.

"Partners in crime and evidentially off worlders judging from your sonic device"

"Oh yes, I still got your sonic pen" Rose said pulling out the pen from her pocket "its nice, sophisticated, sleek definitely sleek" Rose showed it to Donna who looked at it.

"Definitely sleek" Donna agreed.

"If you were to sign your real name that'll be...?" Rose said.

Ms Foster pulled on her glasses and stared at them "Matron Cofelia five class Indian nursery fleet – intergalactic class"

"A wet nurse...using you as a surrogate"

"I've been hired by the Adiposeuim first family to foster a new generation after their breeding planet got lost"

"What do you mean lost?" Rose asked frowning "who loses a whole planet?"

"Oh politics is none of my concern" the woman said dismissively "I'm just here to take care of the children for the parents"

"What like an out of space supper nanny?" Donna asked incredulously.

"Yes if you like" Matron Cofelia said beaming at the idea.

"So those things they're made out of fat yeah? Well that Stacey Camball, there was nothing left of her" Donna said.

"Oh in a crisis Adipose can turn hair, bone and internal organs, makes them a little bit sick the poor things" Matron Cofelia said pouting slightly.

"What about poor Stacey!" Donna gasped.

"Seeding another planet is against galactic law" Rose said flatly.

"Are you threatening me?" Matron Cofelia asked narrowing her eyes at Rose.

"I'm trying to help you Matron" Rose said "this is your last chance because if you don't call this off then I'm going to have to stop you"

"I hardly think you can stop this" Matron Cofelia said as her goon took the safety of their guns and held them up, aiming at the two girls.

"Hold on! Hold on! Hold on! One more thing before the whole dying thing...do you know what happens when you hold two identical sonic devices together?" Rose asked holding the screwdriver and pen up.

"This is hardly the time to be comparing toys!" Donna hissed.

"No" Matron Cofelia said flatly.

"Nor me! Lets find out" Rose then pressed the buttons as she held them together causing a loud high pitched noise that made Matron Cofelia and her goons (and Donna) block their ears. The glass smashed and the Matron and her goons screamed painfully.

Donna then pushed Rose "come on!" causing her to let go and the pair ran off.

DWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDW

Rose led Donna to the cupboard she had been hiding in and began to throw everything out.

"Well that's one solution, hiding in a cupboard, I like it" Donna said.

"Hack into this thing, the Matron has a computer call" Rose said sliding the wall to the side to reveal a large alien like thing in green light. "Wired to the whole building, triple deadlocked but now I got this!" Rose pulled out the sonic pen. "and I can get into it, she wired up the whole building" Rose said again pulling out a thick wire "we need a bit of privacy" she held two wires together causing a little blue electric current, she then let go. "That should stop them, she wired up the whole tower block. But what is it all for?"

"You look older" Donna said quietly as Rose began to work.

"Thanks" Rose muttered.

"Still on your own?"

"Yep, well no I had a friend called Martha, Martha Jones she was brilliant and I destroyed her whole life but she's fine. And I spent some time with two old friends called Sarah Jane and Jack but then I sort of ruined it with Jack and Sarah Jane thought it was time for me to not sleep on her sofa"

"What about the Doctor bloke?" Donna whispered.

Rose felt her throat clog up and she swallowed "still lost" she whispered. She had to change the subject; she didn't want to tell Donna about the year that wasn't. "Thought you were going to travel the world?"

Donna snorted "easier said than done. It's like I had that one day with you and I was going to change, I was going to do so much. And then I woke up the next morning and same old life. Its like you were never there...and I tried, I did try, I went to Egypt but it was just guidebooks and two weeks later I was back home. I went mad trying to get hold of you...I found this diary in the attic, the Diary of an Impossible Girl and I learnt so much about you"

Rose looked up from her work "I wrote that...when I wasn't myself, bit hard to explain I'll tell you the story later. I was going to offer"

"To come with you?"

Rose blinked "you want to come with me?"

"Oh yes please" Donna said grinning.

"All right then" Donna flung her arms round Rose causing her to take a step back when a electronic voice got their attention.

"Inducer activated"

"She started the programme" Rose said panicked.

DWDWDWDWDWDWDWDW

With Donna's help and the help the golden pendants they managed to save the people before the Adipose started to convert the skeletons and organs. Then they heard a loud noise which had to be the ship for the Adipose, Rose heard the instructions coming from the ship and her eyes widened as she ran off to the roof with Donna behind her.

"What are you going to do then?" Donna asked "blow them up?"

"They're children! They can't help where they come from" Rose said glaring at Donna.

"Oh that makes a change from last time" Donna said "that Martha, Jack and Sarah Jane must have done you good"

"They did, Martha and Sarah Jane were good friends. Jack's like a brother to me...a brother that wants to get in everyone's pants"

"Hand him to me and I'll set him straight" Donna said.

"I might just do that, I mentioned you to him said you'll probably eat him alive"

The two woman glanced at each other and laughed. The Adipose cooed and waved at them, one of them winking. The pair waved back.

"I'm waving at fat" Donna said in disbelieve.

"Actually as a diet plan it sort of works" Rose said, she then spotted Matron Cofelia "there she is!" and the two of them ran to the edge. "Matron Cofelia, please listen to me"

"Oh I don't think so Rose" the woman said calmly "and if I never see you again it would be too soon"

"Oh why do they never listen?" Rose asked "can you shift the levitation field over here"

"And let you arrest me?"

"Listen I heard the Adiposeuim instructions, they know it's a crime to breed on Earth so who do they want to get rid off? Their accomplice"

"I'm far more than that, I'm Nanny to all of these children" Matron Cofelia raised her arms out.

"Exactly! Mum and Dad have the kids now they don't need the Nanny anymore"

Suddenly the levitation field cut off and Matron Cofelia fell with a scream. Donna buried her head into Rose not wanting to watch and Rose closed her eyes, wincing when she heard the splat of Matron Cofelia's body hitting the ground. The pair looked up to see the ship fly off, the Adipose waving through the window.

DWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDW

Rose chucked the sonic pen into the bin when Penny came up to them still tied to the chair.

"You two are mad" she said "and I'm going to report you for-for MADNESS!" she then stalked off with the chair tied firmly to her bottom.

"See some people just can't take it" Donna said sighing.

"Nope" Rose agreed.

"And some people can! So then TARDIS come on!" Donna snatched up Rose's hand and began to drag her away. Rose ran after her laughing, she could get use to this.

They walked past a blue car.

"That's my car!" Donna exclaimed "that is like destiny and I'm ready for this" she opened the boot up "I packed ages ago just in case because I thought, hot weather, cold weather, no weather, it goes anywhere, I got to be prepared" she started to pull out three large suitcases and a hat box.

"You got a hat box" Rose said her eyes wide.

"Planets of the hats, I'm ready!"

"I didn't even pack this much!" Rose cried out "honestly Donna all you need is a rucksack with the essentials"

"I don't need any injections do I?" Donna asked leaning against the door of the TARDIS as Rose held the hat box and one of the suitcases. Rose looked depressed and Donna's grin fell "you're not saying much"

"Are you sure you want to come with me?" Rose asked quietly.

"Yes! Why don't you want me? Would you rather be left alone?"

"NO! No, it's just...with Martha it got complicated and it was my fault. Martha's whole family were in danger and I don't want to put you in that situation...I just want a mate"

"You want to MATE!" Donna squawked "well you're not mating with me SUNSHINE! I don't swing that way!"

"No, no, no, no I meant I just want a friend, a mate, a Bessie, funnily enough I don't swing that way either"

"Thank god for that because I don't do that! Woman or aliens!"

"There we are then, ok?" Rose said.

"I can come?" Donna asked.

"YES! Of course you can, I was just warning you, I didn't want you to get hurt"

Donna laughed and ran up to give Rose a hug but then froze. "Car keys" she said to herself pulling out a set of keys.

"What?" Rose asked feeling confused.

"I still got my Mum's car keys, won't be a minute" Donna ran round Rose and out of the alley. Rose groaned when she saw the gigantic pile of Donna's possessions and began to pick them up and get them inside of the TARDIS.

DWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDW

_He stood there with his hands in his pockets watching the police clear the blonde woman's body, he shuddered at the thought that he might have been Rose but he had spotted her running down an alley with a redhead, he was so tempted to go after her...but he made a promise to Jackie and Mickey to come back with a report and if he broke that then Jackie will hunt him down and flay him alive and he really doesn't need that. _

"_Listen, listen" some said to him pulling him round to face them, it was the redhead he saw Rose with. "there's this tall blonde woman called Sylvia when you see her tell her that bin there, all right? That bin there it'll make sense to her, thanks"_

_He watched her run off before he turned round to face the crime scene, he sighed deeply and closed his eyes enjoying the feeling of this Earth which was so much slower than the other, which had Rose in it and the TARDIS and the crazy redhead. He then turned round and began to walk down the street, feeling himself fade away. _


	18. Fire of Pompeii

They opened the TARDIS to find themselves in a small corner hidden but a dusty, ragged brown blanket; Rose pulled the blanket to aside and beamed with the sight she saw.

"Donna Noble welcome to Ancient Rome" Rose said. "Well strictly speaking this is Brand New Rome" they walked side by side down the market.

"Oh my god!" Donna exclaimed. "This is...this is fantastic!" she flung her arms round Rose who chuckled and hugged her back before she pulled away. "I'm in Rome, Donna Noble in Rome. This is just weird, we never had a date"

"Well don't tell them that" Rose said smiling. She had the feeling Donna had no idea what she was saying.

"Hang on a minute, that sign is in English, are you having me on?" Donna demanded Rose turned to see the sign that Donna was pointing at. "Are we in Epcot?"

"Oh don't worry Donna we're definitely not in Epcot, the TARDIS translates every language so everything you read, write, speak and hear will be English to you"

"Seriously?"

"Yep!"

"I just said seriously in Latin" the pair glanced at each other and sniggered before walking onwards. "What if I actually say something in Latin?" Donna asked. "Like Veni, vidi, vici. My Dad said that after every football game. What would happen if I said Veni, vidi, vici? What would it sound like?"

"No idea, you're taking this rather well when I first learnt that the TARDIS could do that I went nuts...but then again I was entertaining thoughts about the Doctor and didn't want anyone to know at the time"

"I'm going to try it!" Donna said suddenly, squealing slightly as she walked up to a fruit store seller confidentially.

"All right sweetheart?" the fruit store seller said. "What can I get you love?"

"Um...Veni, vidi, vici" Donna said.

"Huh sorry?" the fruit store seller then began to speak slowly with hand gestures. "Me no speak Celtic, no can do missy"

"Yeah" Donna whispered before sliding back to Rose who was biting her lip to stop laughing. "What did he mean by Celtic?"

"Welsh" Rose said "he thought you were Welsh. Wow you learn something new everyday" she muttered the last part to herself before starting to walk down, Donna by her side.

"Don't they think my clothes are a bit weird?" Donna asked.

"Nah Ancient Rome, anything goes. You know the last time I went to Rome I ended up being turned into a statue and let me tell you it was not fun"

"I better not be turning to stone or I'll knock you out with my new stone foot" Donna threatened.

"Don't worry the bad guy is long gone, in fact if my dates are correct he's not even born yet." Rose assured Donna "but I never got a proper look, the coliseum and the pantheon. The Doctor got to go to the coliseum but to be fair he was supposed to be fed to the lions" Rose frowned. "Funny you would expect them to be around by now" Rose looked at the two different directions "lets go this way" she said pulling Donna to the right.

Rose kept looking round trying to work out where abouts she was, she had the nasty feeling that she might not be at Rome at all.

"I'm not an expert" Donna said "but there's seven hills in Rome aren't they?" Rose turned round to see a large mountain in the distance. "How come they only got one?"

Before Rose could make a reply the ground began to shake beneath them. "Here we go again" someone shouted. The sounds of pottery breaking on the ground could be heard.

"Hold on a minute!" Donna said looking rather scared. "One mountain with smoke...which makes this..."

"Pompeii" Rose finished. "Crap I should have known I wouldn't land in Rome. Trust me to land on volcano day"

DWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDW

They ran down the streets, round the corners barely dodging the people on time. Rose was miles ahead while Donna was panting behind, Donna was beginning to envy Rose for being so fit and fast though she suspects that was due to having a lot experience. Rose got to the little stall where they parked the TARDIS and pushed the curtain aside...only to see the TARDIS gone.

"You're kidding me" Donna whispered as she tried to catch her breath. "Don't tell me that the TARDIS is gone"

"Ok, Donna the TARDIS is not gone" Rose said her eyes not leaving the blank spot.

"Well where is it?" Donna asked.

"You told me not to tell you" Rose said.

"Oh don't get clever with me in Latin Blondie" Donna snapped.

Rose ran off towards the store seller. "Excuse me, there was a box, a big blue box, my big blue box where is it?" she asked pointing at the corner.

"Sold it didn't I?" the store seller said grinning.

"What! But it's mine!" Rose shrieked.

"Well it was on my patch, I got 15 sesterity, and I could always give you twenty per cent"

"But who did you sell it to?" Rose asked.

"Old man Caecilius on Foss Street, you can take it up with him if you want"

"Thanks" Rose said starting to run before she turned back. "What the hell would he want with a big blue wooden box for?"

DWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDW

"Found it, Foss Street is over there" Rose said to Donna.

"I just had an idea" Donna said "if we get everyone together and make a big bell...do they even have bells here?"

"What do you want a bell for?" Rose asked feeling rather confused.

"To warn everyone, to prepare an evacuation. When did the Vesuvius erupt?"

"Seventy nine eighteen on the twenty third of August" Rose said "which makes volcano day tomorrow"

"Yeah easy, we can evacuate everyone" Donna said happily.

"Yeah but not this time" Rose said turning round, Donna snatched her wrist and pulled her back.

"But you're _Rose Tyler _this is what you do! Save people!" Donna said pleadingly.

"Not this time" Rose said again. "Pompeii is a fixed point in time there is nothing I can do to change it"

"Well I will"

"No you won't!"

"And you're the boss huh?" Donna said sarcasm lacing her voice.

"Rose, Time Lady, TARDIS, yeah" Rose said gritting her teeth.

"Donna, human and NO!" Donna snapped.

Rose growled and grabbed hold of Donna's shoulders in a tight grip. "Don't try anything Donna; I tried to do something like that once. I tried saving my Dad and do you want to know what happened? Reapers, people died including the TARDIS and the Doctor. And in the end my Dad died because it was a fixed point in time like today. There is nothing we can do!"

"But surely we can-"

"I'm sorry Donna, we can't" Rose said quietly. "Now come on"

DWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDW

Rose ran into to the house into time to catch the falling marble head. She propped it back up on the stand and smiled at the middle aged man that was about to go after the falling head.

"Thank you kind lady" he said "I'm afraid the business is shut today, I am expecting a visitor"

"Oh that's me!" Rose said shaking the man's hand.

"And who are you exactly?" the man asked raising an eyebrow.

"I am...Marcia" Rose said remembering the kind woman that Rose stayed with the last time she was in this time period.

"And so am I" Donna added.

"Two girls with the same name, how unusual" the man said.

"We're an unusual pair" Rose said.

"I'm sorry but we're not open for trade" the man said.

"And that trade would be...?" Donna asked.

"Marble Lobus Caecilius. Mining, polishing and design thereof, if you want marble, I'm your man."

"That's good, very good because" Rose pulled out the psychic paper. "I'm the marble inspector"

"By gods commence" a redheaded woman said. "An inspection. I am sorry my ladies for my son" she pulled the goblet out of a teenager boy's hands and poured the wine on the floor.

"And this is my good wife, Metella," Caecilius introduced. "I... I must confess, we're not prepared for..." he stuttered.

"Nothing to worry about," Rose said calmly walking towards the TARDIS "I'm sure you've nothing to hide. Although, frankly," she pointed at the TARDIS turning back to Caecilius. "This object looks rather like wood to me."

"I told you to get rid of it!" Metella hissed.

"I only bought it today!" Caecilius tried to explain, sounding apologetic.

"Yeah well I'm afraid I'm going to have to take it off of you for a proper inspection" Rose said.

"Though why we're here don't you think we should advice them to go on a nice holiday Marcia" Donna said.

"Don't know what you mean Marcia" Rose said quietly as Metella and Caecilius exchanged confused looks.

"This lovely family, mother, father and son don't you think they should get out of town" Donna asked. Rose sighed; she should have known Donna wasn't going to give up just like that.

"What do you mean?" Caecilius asked.

"Before the volcano starts" Donna said.

"What?"

"Volcano!"

"What's that?"

"Great big volcano outside on your doorstep" Donna said.

"Oh shame Marcia, we haven't greeted the household gods yet" Rose said pushing Donna away towards a giant marble plaque with two figures carved in. "They don't know what it is," she whispered, dipping her fingers into a silver dish and flicking them at the carving. "Vesuvius is just a mountain to them; the top hasn't blown off yet. The Romans haven't even got a word for volcano. Not until tomorrow."

"Oh great so they learn a new word as they die" Donna spat.

"Donna please stop it" Rose whispered.

"You maybe a high and mighty time travelling alien but you're not telling me to shut up!" Donna hissed "that boy" she points to the boy "is how old? Sixteen? And tomorrow he burns to death!"

"And that's my fault?" Rose asked.

"Right now yes!"

"Announcing Lucius Petrus Dextrus, Chief Augur of the City Government."

They turned round to see an old man in probably his early sixties walking in looking regal and strong.

"Lucius, such an honour" Caecilius said walking towards the man.

"Quintus stand up!" Metella snapped.

"Welcome to my house" Caecilius said offering his hand to shake but withdrew it back when Lucius stared at it in distaste.

"The birds are flying north and the wind is blowing west" Lucius said.

"Why absolutely" Caecilius said. "That is good isn't it?"

"Only the grain of wheat knows where it grows" Lucius replied.

"There now Metella have you ever heard such great wisdom?" Caecilius asked his wife bringing her forwards to his side.

"Never" Metella breathed. "It's an honour" she ducked her head at him.

"Pardon me sir" Caecilius said "I have guests. This is Marcia and Marcia"

"A name is a cloud upon a summer wind" Lucius said.

"But the wind is much keenly in the dark" Rose said remembering how she and the Doctor used to read these sort of things out to each other and have a battle later...it was a boring week where the TARDIS refused to move.

"Ah! But what is the dark? Other than an omen of the sun?" Lucius said stepping forwards.

"I can see that every sun must set" Rose said carefully.

"HA!" Lucius barked.

"And the son of a father must also rise" she said pointing at Quintus.

"Damn, very clever lady, evidentially a woman of learning"

"Oh yeah but don't mind me I'm about to leave" Rose said pointing to the TARDIS. She then began to drag Donna away who was complaining.

"Well then sir the moment of revelation" Caecilius said holding on to the red material veiling the artwork. "and here it is, exactly how you specified" Rose turned in time to see what looked like a computer circuit board carved in marble and she froze to stare at it. "Does it please you sir?"

"As the rain pleases the soil" Lucius replied.

"Now that's different" Rose said stepping forwards. "Who designed that then?"

"My lord was very specific" Caecilius said.

"Where did you get the pattern?" Rose asked.

"On the rain, the mist and the wind" Lucius said causing Rose to roll her eyes.

"That looks like a circuit" Donna said. "Do you mean you just dreamt that thing up?"

"That is my job as city Augur" Lucius said impatiently.

Before Donna made a witty comment which Rose knew very well she would, Rose pressed her hand over Donna's mouth. "It's a superstition; an Augur is paid to have visions. Please don't be snarky or joke about it" she hissed in Donna's ear, Donna nodded and Rose removed her hand. "Don't mind us" she said the other three.

"They're laughing at us" someone said. They turned to see a brunette woman in a yellow dress walking in the room. "Those two use words like tricksters, they're mocking us"

"No, no we're not!" Rose protested.

"I'm sorry" Metella said strolling towards the brunette and putting an arm round her. "My daughter was just consuming the vapours"

"My gods Mother what you done to her" Quintus asked looking terrified.

"Not now Quintus!" Caecilius growled.

"But just look at her, she's sick!" Quintus protested.

"I gather that I have a rival in this household. Another with the gift" Lucius said stepping forwards.

"Oh but she has been promised to the Sibylline Sisterhood they say that she has remarkable visions" Metella said.

"The prophecies of women are limited and dull" Lucius snapped. "Only the men have the capacity of true perception"

"I'll tell you where the wind is blowing right now mate" Donna muttered looking annoyed.

The ground shook and Lucius glared at her. "The mountain gods mark your words. I'll be careful if I were you"

"Consuming the vapours?" Rose asked staring at the girl.

"They give me strength" the girl said.

"Doesn't look like it to me" Rose said softly.

"Is that your opinion...as a Doctor's successor" the girl said.

Rose's eyes widened. "I beg your pardon" she said.

"Rose that is your name you have succeeded the Doctor" the girl said.

"How did you know that?" Rose asked.

"And you...you call yourself Noble" the girl said to Donna.

"Now then Evelina, don't be rude" Metella said softly to her daughter.

"No, no it's all right" Rose said waving a hand dismissively.

"You both come from so far away" Evelina said.

"The female soothsayer is inclined to spurn out all sorts of fables" Lucius said.

"Oh not this time" Rose said. "I think you just been out-soothsaid"

"Is that so? Woman from Galifrey"

"What?" Rose whispered.

"Strangest of images your home that is not your home was lost in fire was it not?"

"Rose what's going on?" Donna asked.

"And you, daughter of...London" Lucius said to Donna.

"How does he know that?" Donna asked looking scared.

"It is the gift of Pompeii, every oracle will tell the truth" Lucius said.

"But that's impossible" Donna breathed.

"Rose, he is returning"

"He? Who's he?" Rose asked.

"And you Daughter of London...there is something on your back!"

Donna patted her shoulder looking rather pale. "What is it? What's happening?"

"Even the person Rose is false" Evelina said stepping forwards "your real self is hidden; it burns in the Medusa Cascade itself. You are not a lady nor queen my lady but you...you are a goddess of time. The Big Bad Wolf"

The ground shook once more and Evelina's eyes fluttered shut as she fell to the floor.

"Evelina!" Metella shouted running to her daughter.

DWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDW

After having a chat with Caecilius about when the soothsayers started to make sense and about the 'vapours' Rose discovered that the soothsayers were breathing in the Vesuvius and that it has been like this for seventeen years after an earthquake. She decided silently that she would go and pay Lucius a little visit.

"Quintus, this Lucius guy do you know where he lives?" she asked the lounging teen who was eating grapes lazily.

"Nothing to do with me" Quintus said sulkily.

"Let's try again...this Lucius idiot" she pulled out a gold coin and waved it at Quintus. "Where does he live?"

DWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDW

Quintus and Rose snuck into Lucius's house and found not only one little chunk of circuit but whole complete board made from nine blocks. It was obvious that Lucius had tricked other marble merchants into making these other blocks. Lucius found them and declared it was the future of Pompeii; Rose rearranged the blocks and called it an energy converter. Lucius got annoyed and accused her of insulting the gods and sent the guards on her. However Rose managed to pull of his arm off...a stone arm.

"What?" Quintus said looking terrified.

"Every time! Every single bloody time I come to this era someone gets turned into stone!" Rose said waving the arm round.

"The work of the gods" Lucius said.

"pur-lease" Rose snorted. "It's alien, it was the last time and it is this time and I know because no 'god' can come up with that" she jabbed Lucius's arm at the energy converter. "That's modern science"

"He's made of stone!" Quintus said.

"Pretty armless now though or should I say harmless?" Rose threw the arm in the air and Lucius Jumped after it. Quintus threw the torch at the guards and Rose used the sonic screwdriver to knock the blocks down before the pair jumped out of the window to escape Lucius's guards.

The pair ran as fast as they could before they ran out of breath, they leaned against a closed stall panting.

"His arm...Rose...his arm, is that what's going to happen to Evelina"

"Probably already started" Rose said quietly.

"My gods!"

Suddenly a loud banging noise came and the ground shook. Then another and another, almost like footsteps.

"Is it the mountain?" Quintus asked.

"No...No it sounds closer" Rose said.

The footstep like sound continued as things began to fall to the floor.

"Footsteps" Rose whispered, her eyes widening in realisation.

"What? No it can't be! What is it?"

"RUN!" Rose shouted herding Quintus the other way.

DWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWD

"What is it?" Metella called out "What's that noise?"

"Doesn't sound like Vesuvius!" Caecilius said looking confused.

Rose and Quintus raced into the courtyard from outside, Rose stared at the family and Donna who were staring at her for an explanation. "That's it! Everyone out. Caecilius, all of you. C'mon!"

"Rose what's going on?" Donna asked.

"We're being followed, there's no time. Just get out!"

Before anyone could move a grille in the courtyard burst open, and a huge, glowing red and grey creature emerged from beneath. A creature made from rock and lava.

Evelina was shaking "The gods are with us," she whispered.

"Water!" Rose shouted "We need water!"

Donna stumbled out to get some water.

"Blessed are we to see the gods!" a servant shouted.

The monster roared, fire spewing from it's mouth, burning the servant instantly to dust.

"Talk to me, that's all I want!" Rose called urgently, holding up her hands. "Talk to me, you just tell me who you are. Don't hurt these people!"

"Rose!" Quintus shouted throwing a bucket of water at the creature.

The creature instantly screamed and darkened, crumbling to bits of rock landing loudly onto the floor, Evelina seemed to be starting a panic attack as her breathing accelerated.

"What was it?" Caecilius asked.

"Stone held by placed by magma" Rose said "not too difficult to stop but I have a feeling that was just a foot soldier"

"Rose you bring bad luck to this house" Metella snapped.

"I thought your son was fantastic aren't you going to thank him?" Rose said ignoring Metella's outburst. That caused both Metella and Caecilius to hug their son. "Donna?" Rose called out "Donna? DONNA?"

DWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDW

"Oh, she will not!" Rose shouted as she stepped into the temple.

"You took your time!" Donna shouted.

"No one _is_ allowed to enter the Temple of Sibyl without permission!" a red robed woman said wielding a knife.

"Nice toga. You all right?" Rose said to Donna ignoring the woman. Donna glared but nodded, trying to move. Without another word, there was a sonic buzz, and the ropes fell from Donna and Rose helped her up.

"I'm so going to sue them" Donna muttered causing Rose to chuckle.

"What magic is this?" the woman with the knife asked.

"No, no, not magic" Rose held up her sonic screwdriver for them to behold. "Not prophecy, vapours, or advanced knowledge of impending doom. Now, let me tell you about Sibyl, the founder of this religion. She would be ashamed of you. All her wisdom and insight turned sour," she looked over the other women of the cult, who looked a bit ashamed "Is that how you spread the word, hey? On the blade of a knife?"

"Yes," the leader sounded more mad, more devout than before. "A knife that now welcomes you!" she lunged forward.

"Stop!" Donna shouted leaping forwards towards Rose only to be held back by one of the sisters. "Unhand me!"

"Show me this woman!" a deep, rasping voice shouted over the rabble causing everyone to freeze.

The red-clad women turned toward the curtain in unison, and knelt, except for the leader, who stood, eyes wild and urgent, voice desperate.

"High Priestess, the stranger would defile us!" she uttered.

"Let me see, this one is different. She carries starlight in her wake."

Rose bent down and helped Donna up "She's very perceptive, now, isn't she? Where do these words of wisdom come from?"

The voice behind the curtain spoke again. "The gods whisper to me."

"They've done far more than that. Might I beg audience? Look upon the High Priestess?" she addressed the room, as much as the voice beyond the veil.

The red robed sisters silently moved the curtains to reveal a stone woman in red. Donna looked revolted and Rose sighed sadly.

"Oh my god what happened to you?" Donna asked.

"The high heavens have blessed me" the stone High Priestess said in her rasping voice.

"If I might?" Rose asked stepping forwards. The High Priestess held her hand out and Rose went onto her knees gently holding the hand. "Does it not hurt?"

"It is necessary"

"Who told you that?"

"The voices"

"Is that what is going to happen to Evelina? Is that what is going to happen to all of you?" Donna shouted shrilly. The woman that held the knife stepped slowly to Donna and held her arm out for her to examine.

"People are turning to stone!" Donna said.

"Before the volcano erupts" Rose whispered.

"What is this volcano I see in your mind?"

"Doesn't matter, the question is why can't you see it? Or even better who are you?"

"I am the High Pries-"

"No, no, no" Rose interrupted. "I mean the creature that possess you, that is lining your lungs with dust"

"How can you have so much knowledge?" the Priestess gasped.

"You read my mind you tell me"

"But it can't be!"

"TELL ME WHO YOU ARE!"

"We are awakening" the High Priestess's voice grew deeper and raspier

DWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDW

They turned out to be from Pryovile; the Pryovillians fell and landed on Earth. They planned to take over Earth to make it their home again. According to them Pryovile was lost. The two of them managed to escape them with the help of a water gun that Rose had in her pocket (Donna suspected Rose got it before she went after Donna) and they jumped down the furnace to underground, where they found to base of the Pryovillians and the machinery they had going on.

"But if it's alien then you can save Pompeii" Donna whispered after they locked themselves in the machine.

"No" Rose whispered. "Donna don't you see? It's Pompeii or the world"

"You mean?"

"All this time it was me that made the Vesuvius explode...I kill all those people Donna" her voice was slightly shaky. "Once I let people die, billions but I brought them back. I brought them back to life and they were none the wiser...but I can't bring these people back after I do this" a tear slid down Rose's cheek.

Donna placed her hands over Rose's. "We do it together" she whispered.

And they pressed the button down hard...together.

DWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDW

Donna felt sick, she was running through the city back to Caecilius's villa to the TARDIS as children and women and men were dying. As they got in they rushed to the TARDIS and Rose unlocked the door but instead of running in and herding Donna like Donna expected her to, she turned to face the terrified family.

"Come with me, I'll keep you safe" she said holding her hand out to Caecilius, who took it quickly, pulling his wife along.

Donna sprung into action and helped Quintus herd Evelina into the box. The family looked round amazed at how it was bigger on the inside as Rose quickly sprung round to console flying it away from Pompeii.

"Thank you" Donna murmured.

"For what?" Rose asked.

"For saving them, you didn't have to"

"Oh but I did Donna...I'm so guilty and I had to help them...I just wish I could save the others"

Donna grabbed hold of her hand. "So do I, but we saved some people and that's enough"

Rose smiled at Donna "thank you, thank you so much. I don't know where I would be without you"

"Probably not in a ditch hiding from angry drunks" Donna said in a joking voice though at her expression Rose had a feeling Donna had done it more than once.

"I'm not even going to ask" she said.


	19. DonnaRose

"WHOO!" Donna screamed on the top of her voice as the TARDIS rocked violently, if it wasn't for the fact she had a firm grip onto the console she would have landed on her backside now.

Rose was flung back into the captain's chair and then flung out; she laughed joyfully and patted the console as the TARDIS began to slow down.

"Seven controls in random" Rose said the moment the TARDIS stopped. "Mystery ride, outside could be any planet, anywhere, any when in the whole entire universe. Blimey I haven't done one of these in ages" she looked at Donna who was breathing deeply and looking rather pale. "Are you all right?"

"Terrified" Donna admitted "I mean history is one thing but an alien planet?"

"Can always take you home" Rose said smiling slightly.

"Yeah don't laugh at me" Donna said still trying to catch her breath.

"I know what its like" Rose said walking closer to Donna. "The fear, the joy, the wonder, I get that"

"Seriously?" Donna asked her voice going high. "After all this time?"

"Yeah why do you think I keep going? On my very first trip, all them aliens it freaked me out and I ended up running off but in the end oh it was so worth it"

"Aw!" Donna squealed. "All right then you and me both" she walked down freely and cheerfully down the ramp, as Rose picked up her leather jacket and put it on. "This is barmy! I was born in Chiswick; I only ever had package holidays. Now I'm here! This is all...I don't know...it's all...doesn't have a word for it!" she then ran to the door and opened it, stepping out.

Rose followed Donna out to see the most beautiful snow and ice view, almost as beautiful as Woman's Wept...one of the best days of her life. "Snow!" she said gleefully, she turned to face Donna all prepared to challenge her to a snowball fight to see Donna wearing a sleeveless top. "Go back in there and put a coat on" she said.

Donna ran in quickly. Rose looked out and smiled when Donna came back out wearing a very thick fake fur coat.

"Better?"

"Lovely thanks"

"Comfy?"

"Yep"

"Can you hear anything inside there?" Rose asked sticking her tongue out slightly unable to keep her amusement at how thick the coat was hidden. She was so glad that she had a lower temperature and could cope more than Donna.

"Pardon" Donna said jokingly. A large red rocket flew over their heads. "A rocket!" Donna exclaimed. "Blimey, a real proper rocket. Now that's what I call a spaceship" she punched Rose lightly in the arm. "You got a box, he's got a Ferrari, come on lets see where it's going"

"You know Donna you should be careful with what you say about the TARDIS, she might get into a hissy fit and do something to you. Every time Martha called her a machine she would hide her books or make her lost or even stop supplying her hot water" Rose said feeling rather annoyed. She then bent down and picked up some snow moulding it into a ball and threw it at Donna's head.

"OI!"

DWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDW

They walked across a bridge made of ice and rock, giggling. They had only finished the snowball fight where they decided to call it a draw. Suddenly Rose froze when she heard someone singing, she closed her eyes for a moment before reopening them.

"Can you hear that?" she asked Donna.

"What?"

"it sounds like a song" she always has a song going through her mind, the one the Doctor never told her about, the one that she had to work out herself. _I sang a song and they ran away _but the song wasn't him was it? It was all her. This one was sadder, not constantly flowing but high whistled and even more eerily. And then she saw the body. "Over there!"

They ran over to the body and Rose fell to her knees in disbelieve, she yanked out the handy stethoscope that she kept in her pocket.

"What is it?" Donna asked.

"An Ood, it's an Ood" Rose said.

"But it's face!"

"Donna not now, it's a he not an it"

Donna got on her knees on the other side of the Ood. "Sorry" she whispered.

Rose was trying to find the Ood's heart. "I can't find his heart...I don't know if he even has a heart. Keep him talking Donna"

"It's all right, we got you" Donna said gently brushing some snow of the Ood. "Erm...what's your name?"

The translator that the Ood was holding turned on. "Designated Ood Delta 50" he said.

Donna plucked the translator out of his hands and raised it to her lips. "My name is Donna" she said into it.

Rose looked up and gently took the translator out of Donna's hand. "They can understand English Donna they just need that to speak"

"Oh sorry" Donna mumbled. "Oh god! This is Rose she's going to help, that's what you need some help"

Rose found a bullet wound in the Ood's abdomen. "You've been shot!" she exclaimed. "Who would shoot a peaceful race...well usually I haven't forgotten that incident"

"The circle..."

"No don't talk" Donna said to the Ood.

"The circle...must be broken"

"Circle what circle? Delta 50 what circle?" Rose asked.

Delta 50 turned his head to Rose and opened his eyes to reveal blood red. He let out a large roar causing Rose to jump over and drag Donna away. The roar died down and Delta 50 fell back onto the snow...dead. And the song stopped playing.

"He's gone" Donna whispered, she stepped forward and knelt by Delta 50 and she began to stroke his head. "there you go sweetheart, we were too late" Rose was filled with admiration for this woman, no one else would do that not even Rose but then again Rose had issues with Ood. "Should we bury him?"

Rose shook her head. "The snow will take care of him"

"What's an Ood?" Donna asked.

"Servants for humans in the 42nd century. Mildly telepathic that was what I could hear, his mind, his song."

"I couldn't hear anything" Donna said getting up. "He sang while he was dying"

"His eyes turned red"

"What does that mean?"

"Trouble, last time I met the Oods their eyes went red and everyone almost died. In fact all the Ood did along with a handful of people. One of the most terrifying experiences ever" Rose said. "A force took them over, made them the way they were acting then" as the pair began to walk away.

"What kind of force?"

"The devil"

"Be serious"

"Oh but I am Donna, the devil existed. Gone now the Doctor and me chucked him into a black hole. So something else must be doing this to the Ood"

The pair climbed up a hill and saw a metal dome.

"Ah civilisation" Rose said.

DWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDW

"Ladies and Gentlemen welcome to the Ood Sphere and isn't it freezing?" a perky woman in black said to the crowd. "Here are your information packs with vouchers, 3D tickets and a map of the complex. My name is Solana head of marketing, I'm sure we all spoken on the big board. Now if you all like to follow me"

"Sorry, sorry we're late" Rose said running up the woman with Donna tailing behind her. "Hello don't mind us the guards let us through"

"And you would be?" Solana asked.

"Rose Tyler and Donna Noble" Rose said flicking the psychic paper up.

"Representing the Noble/Tyler Corporation PLC Limited intergalactic" Donna finished off smoothly.

"Must have fallen of my list. I apologise it won't happen again" Solana said smiling. "Well then Ms Tyler, Ms Noble here are your information packs, vouchers are inside" she then waved an arm to the crowd. "Now then if you would all like to follow me and I'll show you to the executive suite where it's nice and warm inside"

Suddenly a loud beeping noise could be heard.

"What's that?" Rose asked. "It sounds like some sort of alarm"

"Oh it's just a siren, end of the work shift" Solana said quickly. "Now then this way as quick as you can" she called out herding everyone through the door.

DWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDW

"As you can see the Ood are happy to serve" Solana said standing at the podium. "And we keep them in the facilities at the highest standard. Here at the double O that's Ood Operations, we like to think of the Ood as our trusted friends. We keep the Ood healthy, safe and educated. We don't just breed the Ood, we make them better because at heart what is an Ood? But a reflection of us, if you're Ood are happy then you'd be happy too"

The people in the room began to applaud; Donna made a dull attempt while Rose out right refused to put her hands together. Everything Rose knew about the Ood contradicted what this woman said. The Ood here aren't healthy or safe and Rose doubted that they needed education.

"I would now like to point out a new innovation from Ood Operations" Solana said walking towards the three Oods that stood still in the middle of the room. "We now introduce a variety pack in the Ood translator ball, you can now have the standard package, and how are you today?" she turned round and asked the first Ood.

"I am perfectly fine, thank you" the first Ood said in a monotone male voice.

"Or after a stressful day a little something for the Gentlemen" Solana said as she walked to the second Ood. "And how are you Ood?"

"All for the better now seeing you" the Ood purred in a female voice. Rose bit her lip from laughing while Donna looked disgusted.

"And the comedy classic version" Solana walked up to the third Ood. "Ood you dropped something"

"Doh!" the Ood said in a static version of Homer Simpson. There was scattered laughter and Donna looked ready to slap somebody.

"All those for just five extra credits" Solana said "details are in your brochures. Now there's plenty of food and drink so don't hold back" she then left the room, as everyone started to help themselves to food Rose went to the green and silver switchboard and typed in a few random codes managing to get the screen on.

"Ah got it" she mumbled as Donna joined her side, munching on something. "The Ood Sphere, been to this solar system before, years ago. Most of the planets are seminal. Lets wind it up" she tapped in another code and the screen went back showing the clouds of the solar system red dots appeared and red lines connected them to make shapes. "The year 4126 that is the second great and bountiful human empire"

"4126" Donna repeated "its 4126, I'm in the year 4126"

"Good isn't it?"

"What is the Earth like now?" Donna asked.

"A bit full but as you can see the empire stretches out through three galaxies"

"It's weird" Donna breathed. "Brilliant...but back home on the telly and the papers, they keep saying we haven't got long to live. Global warming, flooding, about the bees disappearing"

"Yeah that bit with the bees is just plain weird" Rose said.

"But look at us! We're everywhere! Is that good or bad; are we explorers or more like a virus?"

Rose shrugged. "Bit of both probably"

"What are the red dots for?" Donna asked.

"Ood distributions centres"

"Across three galaxies?" Donna began to walk away. "Don't the Ood get a say in this?" she walked up to one of the Ood. "Erm...sorry" the Ood didn't notice her so she reached out and tapped his arm; he turned to look at her. "Hello! Tell me...are you all like this?"

"I do not understand Miss" the Ood said politely.

"Why did you say Miss? Do I look single?" Donna asked.

"Back to the point!" Rose hissed not wanting Donna to start a fight or give the poor Ood a heart attack.

"Yeah...what I mean is, is there any _free _Ood?" Donna said. "Are there Ood running wild somewhere? Like wilder beasts"

"All Ood are born to serve otherwise we would all die" the Ood said.

"You can't have started like that! Before the humans, what were you like?" the Ood flinched but Donna didn't seem to notice, Rose frowned slightly.

"The circle" the Ood said.

"What do you mean?" Rose asked. "What circle?"

"The circle, the circle is..."

"Ladies and Gentlemen" Solana called cutting the Ood off. "All Ood hospitalities go back to station please." The Ood walked off.

"Enough with this" Rose murmured pulling out the map. "Fancy taking a detour?"

"Rough guide to the Ood Sphere" Donna muttered back.

"Yeah"

"Works for me"

DWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDW

Rose used her sonic screwdriver to open up the gate and slipped in Donna by her side. The snow seemed grey under their feet and crunched loudly as they walked. They ran up some silver frozen stairs to a balcony and watched the Ood be marched into the courtyard. One of the Ood fell to the floor, a guard went up to him and pulled out a whip and began to whip the poor creature.

"Servants" Donna whispered. "They're slaves"

The Ood got up slowly and they began to march again.

"Last time I saw them" Rose whispered. "I only asked once, I should have asked and thought about it..."

"That's unlike you" Donna commented.

"I was busy, in the end we couldn't save them. They were about to kill us and the men knocked me out and chucked me into a rocket. Good thing the Doctor was there..."

A man walked out onto the courtyard dressed in a suit being trailed by a man in a white coat and an Ood.

"That looks like the boss" Donna said quietly.

"Let's keep out of his way, c'mon" Rose herded Donna away, glancing briefly over her shoulder.

DWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDW

Rose strolled pass a door as she looked down at the map, Donna stopped at it, glanced at it and then gave a high pitched whistle causing Rose to flinch before she turned round and ran to Donna.

"Where did you learn to whistle?" she asked.

"West ham every Saturday" Donna replied.

Using the sonic screwdriver they got into the building to find large blue metal boxes and a large claw hovering in the ceiling. "Ood export" Rose said. "See!" she pointed to the claw "takes the boxes to the rockets and they'll be flown out to the three galaxies"

"What you mean these containers are filled with...?"

"What do you think?" Rose said raising an eyebrow. She went to a blue box and opened it to reveal a crowd of Ood standing still.

"Oh it stinks!" Donna hissed. "How many of them do you think there are in each one?"

"Hundred or more" Rose said.

"Great big empire built on slavery" Donna said bitterly.

"Not so different from our time" Rose said calmly.

"Oi! I don't have slaves" Donna snapped.

"Who do you think made our clothes?"

"Is that why you travel with a human by your side? It's not so you can show the wonders of the universe, it's so you can take cheap shots!"

"No! Remember I used to be human, I'm just pointing out we're not so different to them, that's all"

"Well you're Space-Girl now!" Donna said smirking slightly; she then turned to the Ood. "I don't understand, the door is open why don't you run away now?"

"For what reason?" one of the Ood asked.

"So you could be free!" Donna cried out.

"I do not understand the concept" the Ood said.

"What's with it with that plastic ball?" Donna asked. "I mean they're not born with it are they? Why do they have to be plugged in?"

"Ood tell me does the circle mean anything to you?" Rose asked ignoring Donna's question.

Suddenly all the Ood's balls lit up and they chanted in unison. "The circle must be broken" the balls went out and they stood there.

"Oh that's creepy" Donna whispered.

"What is it? What is the circle?"

"The circle must be broken"

"Why?"

"So we can sing"

Suddenly an alarm echoed through the hall.

"That's our cue!" Rose shouted grabbing hold of Donna's hand and yanking her out of the box, running as fast as she could. They ran round the boxes, Donna's hand slipped from hers and she continued to run when Donna shouted;

"Rose! There's a door!"

She ran round the corner and turned to see Donna was gone. "Where is she?" suddenly guards came running round the corner and Rose began to run again.

She managed to lose the guards but she couldn't find Donna anywhere, when suddenly a large claw came down for her. She dodged it and threw herself round the corner but the claw followed her. She began to run through the maze of the blue boxes with the claw following her every step.

"Fucking twats" Rose muttered under her breath as she barely missed the claw and some metal barrels fell to the floor with a clang. The claw came down on her and she rolled onto the floor and landed on her feet perfectly. "Still got it" Rose said remembering the last time she did that move she was seven.

She tripped over some metal barrels and landed flat on her back. "Bugger" she whispered as the claw was coming down on to her, suddenly it froze. She panted as she kept her eyes trained on it.

DWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDW

Two guards were dragging her along when she heard Donna screaming from a box.

"ROSE GET ME OUT!"

"If you don't do what she says you're really in trouble" Rose warned the guards as they made her face the head guard. The guards let her out and Donna ran into Rose's arms. "There we go safe and sound"

"Never mind about me" Donna said. "What about them?" she nodded to the Ood that was marching out and killing a guard with its translator ball.

"Oh fuck not this again!" Rose swore. The guards began to shoot the Ood and Rose grabbed hold of Donna's hand and herded her out quickly. Solana followed them, as the three got out safely Donna turned and glared at her.

"If people on Earth knew what was going on here"

"Don't be so stupid of course they know" Solana snapped glaring at Donna.

"They know how you treat the Ood" Donna said in disgust.

"They don't ask! Same thing"

"Solana the Ood are born brainless? They can't be a species born the serve can't evolve in the first place. What does the company do to make them obey?" Rose asked.

"That's nothing to do with me!"

"Oh what because you don't ask"

"That's Doctor Rider's territory"

"Where is he?" Rose asked pulling out the map. "Just point out the place" Solana didn't move. "I can help with the Red Eye now show me!"

"There" Solana said pointing down on a spot on the map. "On the red section"

"Come with me" Rose said quietly "you seen the warehouse you can't agree with all this. You can make it better, you can help"

Solana stared at Rose for a brief moment before she pulled her gaze away and called out. "They're over here! Guards they're over here!"

Rose and Donna began to run.

DWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDW

They hid in another warehouse; Rose used the sonic screwdriver to make the controls explode.

"Hold on does that mean we're locked in?" Donna asked looking worried.

"Shh...Listen" Rose whispered, she walked away using the sonic screwdriver as a torch to go down some stairs. Donna's footsteps could be heard behind her. Rose winced. "My head!"

"What is it?" Donna asked worriedly.

"Can't you hear it?" Rose asked. "The singing?" Rose shone the light to see a cell and Ood kneeling in it. She stepped forward and found a light switch. Flicking it on she could see the Ood shuffling away looking terrified.

"They look different to the others" Donna said.

"Because they're natural born Ood" Rose whispered. "Before they're adapted to slavery...that's their song" it was that high pitched disjointed whistling and yet it was beautiful.

"I can't hear it" Donna said.

"Do you want to?" Rose asked.

"Yeah..."

"It's the song of captivity" Rose warned.

"Let me hear it."

"Face me" Rose ordered gently, Donna faced her looking a bit scared. "I never done this before" Rose said quietly. "But I know how it works" she pressed her hands on Donna's temples like the Doctor did to her in that year that never was one night long ago. "Open your mind...that's it" Donna saw a flash of golden light and the most beautiful song, she shivered. "Don't worry Donna that's just me, can you hear it?"

Donna sat there looking horrified as she heard the Ood's song. She turned to face the Ood, a tear sliding down her cheek. "Take it away!"

"Are you sure?" Rose asked quietly.

"I can't bare it!" Donna sobbed. She felt Rose put her hands on her temple and the golden light and the two beautiful songs were gone. "I'm sorry"

"It's ok" Rose whispered.

"But you can still hear it?"

"All the time"

DWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDW

They discovered that the Ood held their brains in their hands and that the humans had chopped them off and replaced it with the translator; the Ood had even let the pair of them hold it for a while. Then the guards the boss came in. Rose went berserk and locked her and Donna in the cage, shouting at them. The boss merely got them dragged out and handcuffed them to the wall in his office.

"Why don't you just come out and say it? Photo activists"

"If that's what the friends of the Ood are then yes" Rose spat out.

"The Ood were nothing without us, just animals roaming wild on the ice"

"That's because you can't here them!" Rose cried out.

"They welcome it! It's not like they put up a fight" the man said in disbelieve.

"You idiot!" Donna spat "they were born with their brains in their hands, don't you see that makes them peaceful! They got to be to trust everybody it meets"

"Nice one" Rose whispered.

"Thank you" Donna whispered back.

The man stepped forward. "The system has worked for a hundred years; all we got is a rogue batch. The infection is about to be sterilised." He held his wrist up to his mouth and began to speak into the device strapped to it. "Mr Kess how do we stand?"

"The Red Eye is at its prime sir; once we're ready we'll release the gas. In two hundred marks, they'll all die" a voice came from the device.

"You're going to gas them!" Rose shouted in horror.

"Kill the life stock, the classic foot and mouse situation from the old days. Still works" suddenly an alarm went off. Rose and Donna looked around them as the man turned round. "What the hell?" he went out for a roughly five minutes before coming back in. "change of plan"

"No reports of it happening off world sir" the scientist said. "It's still contained to the Ood Sphere"

"Then we have a public duty to stop it before it spreads"

"What's happening?" Rose asked. The two men turned to stare at her.

"Everything you wanted Ms Tyler, no doubt there would be a police investigation once this is over so I can shoot you. I'll leave you to the mercies of the Ood"

"Mr Harpin, wait there's something else, am I right?" Rose asked quickly.

"What do you mean?" Donna asked.

"There's something else here" Rose said quietly. "A third element"

"There she goes again, so clever" Mr Harpin said.

"But it's got to be connected to the red eye, what is it?"

Harpin walked up to her "it won't exist for very much longer" he hissed in the Rose's face, he then looked at them both "enjoy your Ood"

Harpin, Dr Rider and the two guards strolled out of the room leaving them there. The two immediately started to wiggle and yank against their handcuffs.

"C'mon!" Rose growled in frustration.

"Well do something!" Donna said. "You're the one with the tricks, you must have met Houdini!"

"These are really good handcuffs!" Rose groaned.

"Oh I'm glad about that, at least we got quality" Donna said sarcastically.

The doors opened and three Oods with red glowing eyes came in.

"Err...DonnaRose friends!" Rose shouted.

"The circle must be broken!" Donna shouted.

"DonnaRose friends!"

"Circle must be broken!"

"DonnaRose friends!"

"Circle must be broken!"

"DonnaRose friends!"

"Circle must be broken!"

"DonnaRose friends!"

"Circle must be broken!"

"FRIENDS! FRIENDS!"

"CRICLE MUST BE BROKEN!"

The Ood held their translators close to their faces when they paused. Rose opened her eyes and stared back wondering what was going to happen. The Oods dropped their heads and shuddered, the red light left their eyes and they looked up.

"Donna, Rose friends" the middle Ood said.

"Yes that's us, yes, yes, that's us!" Rose said happily.

"That's me!" Donna said sighing in relieve.

DWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDW

A large giant brain, the one that bonded the Ood together and there surrounding it a blue electronic circle. Rose explained to Donna about the telepathic link, when Mr Harpin came in ranting about what business he could do and how he was going to destroy the brain. The watched in disgust when the scientist tried to defend the brain only to be pushed over the railing by Mr Harpin and they watched in horror when he turned into an Ood.

"He is now Ood kind, we will take care of him" the Ood said

"This is all weird, I can't tell what's wrong or right anymore" Donna said

"Better that way" Rose said "less confusion and less guilt in most cases" There was a loud beeping noise and Rose ran over to the side and flicked the switch down stopping the bombs. "That's better and now!" she ran to the controls and turned to the Ood. "Sigma will you allow me the honour?"

"It is yours Rose"

"OH YES!" Rose shouted "stifle for two hundred years but not anymore the circle is broken. The Ood can sing!"

The blue circle round the large brain disappeared. Donna looked round in wonder as a beautiful _happy _song could be heard.

"I can hear it" she said in a child like voice.

DWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDW

"The message is out, that song resonated throughout the galaxies everyone heard it" Rose said "everyone knows the rockets are bringing them back. The Ood are coming home"

"We thank you DonnaRose, friends of Ood Kind" the Ood said. "And what of you now? Will you stay? There is room in our song for you"

"Oh I got a song of my own thanks" Rose said.

"I think your song must end soon" the Ood said.

Rose frowned. "Meaning?"

"Every song must end"

"Erm, yeah" Rose said uncomfortably. "Well best be off!"

"Take this song with you" the Ood said.

"We will" Donna promised.

"Always" Rose said.

"And know this DonnaRose you will never be forgotten. Our children will sing about the DonnaRose and our children's children. And the wind and the snow and the ice will carry your names forever"


	20. Sontarans and UNIT

Donna found Rose in the kitchen with a mug of tea. The moment Rose had moved the TARDIS into the vortex, she let out a large groan and pretty much disappeared. No matter how many times Donna had tried to go and find Rose she had always found herself back in her bedroom. Rose had mentioned that the TARDIS was alive, so Donna decided the ship must want her to sleep.

"So going to tell me what that was about last night?" Donna asked, hands on her hip.

"Headache, one big, mean evil headache" Rose muttered darkly as she took a sip of her tea.

"Well take an aspirin for it!" Donna said rolling her eyes as she began to make coffee for herself.

"Can't I'm allergic" Rose said. "Nothing I could do but sleep it off. And with the little need of actual sleep it took ages to actually fall asleep"

"So that's why you disappeared last night" Donna said pouring the now boiled water in her mug. "What gave you the headache?"

"The Ood, poor things they didn't mean too" Rose said draining the last of her tea.

"But you're better now?"

"Oh yeah I'm fine" Rose said reassuringly as she got up and helped herself to a biscuit from the biscuit tin, not the healthiest breakfast but she felt that she needed the sugar.

"I was thinking that I'm going to need to learn how to drive the TARDIS" Donna said suddenly causing Rose to choke on her biscuit.

"Wha-wha?" Rose got out as Donna patted her back.

"I need to learn to drive the TARDIS" Donna said calmly.

"Why?!"

"Because what if you're ill or injured? What if you're stuck and it's just me? I can't just depend on you and you're always going to need a backup driver" Donna said.

_Donna has a point Rose. _Rose looked up at the TARDIS ceiling, raising an eyebrow.

"She does?"

_Think about it. How long did it take to teach you? And that was without the Doctor's help, besides we don't need another Rose Tyler looking into my heart, if you knew how to drive the TARDIS we could have avoided that. _

"Could we have really? If we avoided that I might be dead by now and I wouldn't be a Time Lady?" Rose pointed out.

"What? You're not making sense Space-Girl!" Donna squawked.

"Shh...I'm talking to the TARDIS" Rose said quietly.

"Oh"

_True we couldn't avoid that, but honestly I don't want Donna Noble looking into my heart, she terrifies me!_

Rose sniggered slightly. "All right, all right. The TARDIS agrees with you Donna so after breakfast I guess we'll start"

"YES! High five!" Donna turned to the TARDIS wall and held her hand out. A cupboard door went flying into her hand. "Ow! What was that for?"

"You wanted a high five, the TARDIS doesn't have hands so she used a door" Rose said shrugging.

"Bloody ship should have used something softer! Donna grumbled.

DWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDW

"I can't believe I'm doing this!" Donna shouted.

"No neither can I" Rose muttered watching Donna carefully. "Whoa careful" she grabbed the hammer and hit the metal on the side quickly and then pulled up a leaver. "Left hand down, now left hand down" Donna pulled the leaver down sending them to the side a bit. "Getting a bit to close to the 1980s be careful I was born in that decade"

"What am I going to do put a dent in them?" Donna asked sarcastically.

"Well someone did" Rose said reading the monitor. Suddenly her phone rang, she paused, her phone _never _rings not since her Mum got trapped in the parallel world which meant...

"Hold on! That's a phone!" Donna said looking shocked. Rose pulled out the mobile from her pocket. "You got a mobile? Since when?"

"Donna I've always had it, remember you went of with it the day we met" Rose said raising an eyebrow, Donna looked sheepish and Rose turned away to read the ID...Martha Jones, Martha was calling, _Martha! _Was she calling to ask if she could come back? "Hello?" she said into the phone.

"Rose? It's Martha and I'm bringing you back to Earth"

DWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDW

Martha turned round to see the TARDIS finished materialising; she stood with her back straight as the door opened. Rose stepped out and it took all of Martha's control to not gasp, the young girl looked older. She no longer wore the hoodies and light coloured jeans. She now wore complete black with a dark green t-shirt under her leather jacket, her blonde hair was in a darker shade and her amber hazel eyes looked older than ever. Rose stared at her and Martha knew she looked different with her hair straightened and down.

"Martha Jones" Rose said quietly.

"Rose" Martha managed to get out, still trying to not let her concern show just yet, for all she knew Rose might resent her for leaving. After all Jack left as well and he said Rose wasn't in good shape when he left. _She was missing you _was his exact words.

They slowly walked to each other when suddenly the pair opened their arms for each other and embraced tightly.

"Oh you haven't changed a bit!" Rose exclaimed letting her go.

"You have! Your clothes are different"

"Oh you know, can't stay in hoodies forever" Rose said still grinning. "How's the family?"

"Not so bad" Martha said. "They're recovering."

"What about you?" Rose asked gently. Before Martha answered a redheaded woman stepped out of the TARDIS and stared at her with curiosity, Rose turned to see what Martha was staring at.

"Didn't take long to replace me and Jack" Martha said teasingly.

"I would never replace you!" Rose said. "You're my best friend! Martha this is Donna Noble, Donna this is Martha Jones"

Donna swallowed part of her felt jealous. Though Rose had never talked about Martha in their adventures during the so called evenings she had told Donna stories and Donna had to admire Martha but she had also thought...that...well...that she was Rose's best friend. Childish as it was she wanted to be Rose Tyler's only best friend...and then here is Martha Jones who probably called to come back.

"Nice to meet you" Martha said politely holding a hand out. Donna took it and gave it a firm shake before letting it go.

"You too, Rose has told me a lot about you" Donna said.

"I dread to think" Martha said laughing a bit.

"No nice things, your adventures. She's just finished telling me the story about Lazarus" Donna said reassuringly.

"Martha Jones is that an engagement ring I spy on your finger?" Rose butted in. Martha grinned and waved her hand in Rose's friend. "Oh lovely, who's the lucky man?"

"Tom, Milligan from that year. I told you about him. He's in paediatrics he's in Africa now."

"A doctor who likes to go to mysterious far away places" Rose said. "Don't tell me his skinny and dark haired as well? I might start to think you're trying to be me"

Martha laughed "great minds think alike Rosie Pose"

"Oh good god how much time have you spent with Jack since I was gone?" Rose groaned.

"A couple weeks here and there. Just got back from the funeral"

"Funeral? Don't tell me Jack decided to throw a funeral for himself!" Rose said looking slightly amused but also worried.

"No two members of his team died. Tosh and Owen" Martha said.

"No! No poor Jack, he must be heartbroken" Rose whispered.

"Don't go after him. He doesn't want your sympathy Rose, he barely wanted mine. Let him come to you, which won't be long, knowing him." Martha warned Rose nodded while Donna looked confused. She knew about Jack but she didn't' know a Tosh or an Owen. She was also feeling a bit left out.

"Dr Jones report to base please, over" a female voice crackled over the walkie talkie Martha had strapped to her waist.

"Oh I almost forgot" Martha said pulling the walkie talkie out. "This is Dr Jones, operation Blue Sky is go, go, go. I repeat this is a go" she began to walk out of the alley with Rose and Donna trailing after her.

They watched large military land rovers and trucks drive past being guarded by marching soldiers with red caps on their heads, carrying large guns.

"Raise that barrier" someone shouted. "We're UNIT! Leave the safeties out lads this might get hostile. All workers lay down you're tools and surrender"

"Section one to track six. B section go and search the ground floor" Martha ordered.

"What are you searching for?" Rose asked as Donna watched in horror as the workers were being hustled away by the soldiers who were holding guns to their heads.

"Illegal aliens" Martha replied. Soon there was some hassle going on between the workers and UNIT officers and she ran off leaving Rose and Donna by themselves.

"Is that what you did to her?" Donna asked quietly. "Turn her into a soldier"

"I don't that was me as such" Rose said "I think that was due to her experience from that year"

"What year?" Donna asked.

"I'll tell you one day just not now" Rose promised. Martha strolled back to them with a grim look on her face. "You're qualified now!" Rose said noticing the badge on Martha's jacket. "Congratulations"

"UNIT rushed it through given my experiences in the field" Martha said. "Here we go; we're establishing a field base on site. They're dying to meet you" she said winking to Rose as she led them to the large black lorry.

"Oh dear, that does not sound good at all" Rose murmured to herself.

"Operation Blue Sky complete, sir" Martha said as she entered the room. "Thanks for letting me take the lead. And this is Rose Tyler" Rose followed in staring at the computers and people that were working. "Rose this is Colonel Mace"

Colonel Mace saluted Rose. "Ma'am!" he said.

"Oh please don't salute" Rose said blushing slightly.

"But it is an honour Ma'am. You have been recommended by not only Dr Jones here but Ms Sarah Jane Smith, Captain Harkness and ex-Prime Minister Harriet Jones. After the demise of the Doctor it has been said that you are in his equal in every way"

"Oh I'm not" Rose protested.

"I think the Doctor would be proud of you Ma'am" Colonel Mace said. "The Doctor used to work for us in the seventies, technically he never resigned."

"Come on Rose you knew about this, you've been on board the Valiant. We have massive funding for the United Nations all under the name of Home Land Security" Martha said leading them round the controls.

"A modern UNIT for a modern world" Colonel Mace continued.

"And what that means arresting ordinary factory workers? In the streets? In broad daylight? It's more like Guantanamo Bay out there!" Donna snapped "Donna by the way Donna Noble, since you didn't ask. I'll have a salute"

Colonel Mace turned to Rose who nodded slightly; he turned round and saluted Donna. "Ma'am!" he said.

"Thank you" Donna nodded.

"So tell me" Rose said. "What is going on with this factory?"

"Yesterday 52 people died at the exact same circumstances across the world in eleven different time zones" Colonel Mace said as the map appeared on the screen and the deaths popped up labelled. "Five AM in UK, six AM in France, eight AM in Moscow, one PM in China-"

"You mean they died at the exact same time" Rose said.

"Exactly. 52 deaths at the exact time worldwide"

"How did they die?" Rose asked.

"They were all inside their cars" Colonel Mace said.

"They were poisoned" Martha elaborated. "I checked the autopsies. No toxins whatever it is left immediately"

"What have the cars got in common?"

"Completely different makes but they are fitted with ATMOS and that is the ATMOS factory" Martha answered.

"What is ATMOS?" Rose asked.

"Well come on even I know that!" Donna said. "Everyone's got ATMOS"

DWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDW

"Stands for atmospheric admissions system. The ATMOS in your car reduces the engine admissions to zero"

"Zero? No car at all?" Rose asked looking impressed.

"And you get SatNav thrown in and free shopping vouchers" Donna added "if you introduce a friend, bargain!"

"And this is where they're making it Ms Tyler, shipping it across the world. Seventeen factories across the globe but this is the central factory that is supplying them"

"And you think ATMOS is alien?" Rose asked.

"It is our job to check that possibility Ms Tyler" Colonel Mace said. They were led through the factory past the workers still being taken in by the UNIT soldiers to a secluded spot where a device was laid out. "And here it is, the ATMOS system laid bare. It's made and ready for every type and make of car"

"You must have checked it for yourself?" Rose said.

"We did and we found nothing. That's why we needed an expert" Martha said.

"Really? Who did you get?" Rose asked absently, she saw Donna, Martha and Colonel Mace look at her. "Me? ME? I'm no expert, all that stuff I've done is because the TARDIS made me study and through sheer dumb luck. Honestly!"

"Rose you're brilliant at this" Martha said. "The TARDIS might have pushed you into learning but you remember it all, you saved the world all the time. You know the science."

She gave Rose a reassuring squeeze on the shoulder before leaving with Colonel Mace.

"Ok so why would aliens be so keen to clear out our atmosphere?" Donna asked.

"Very good question" Rose murmured as she studied the ATMOS.

"Maybe they want to help" Donna suggested, suppressing the glee that Rose thought she had asked something good. Being round Martha had made her feel small and insignificant.

"Do you know how many cars are on planet Earth?" Rose asked. "Eight hundred million imagine that, controlling eight hundred million weapons.

DWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDW

Rose examined the ATMOS carefully; Donna getting bored went off when Colonel Mace and Martha came back. So far all Rose could find was that the device was a little ahead of its time. Suddenly Donna stomped back in looking rather satisfied with herself, Rose prayed to all gods and deities that she hadn't slapped anyone.

"Oi you lot!" she called "all your storm troopers and Sonics, rubbish, should have come with me"

"Why where have you been?" Rose asked.

"Personnel" Donna replied "that's where the weird stuff is happening, in the paper work. Because I spent years working as a temp and I know my way round an office blindfolded. And the first thing I noticed is an empty file" she held up a blue file.

"Why what's not inside it?" Rose asked.

"Sick days" Donna flipped it open to show nothing inside. "Hundreds of people work in here, no one is sick! Not one hangover, man flu, sneaky shopping trip, not ever! They don't get ill"

"That can't be right" Colonel Mace took the file of Donna.

"You've been checking the building but you've been checking out the work force" Donna said.

"I can see why she likes you" Martha commented. Rose and Donna shared a grin and for a moment Donna felt gleeful and smug. "You're good"

"Super temp" Donna shot back.

"Dr Jones set up a medical post, start examining the workers, I'll send them through" Colonel Mace said handing the file to Martha before walking out.

"Well then, Donna think you could give me a hand?" Martha asked. Donna walked up to Martha as Rose ran off after the Colonel.

DWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDW

Donna began to move the furniture as Martha began to write on some paperwork, when she looked up and asked something that had been on her mind for a while. "Do you think I should warn my Mum? About the ATMOS in our car"

"Better safe than sorry"

"I'll give her a call" Donna said.

"Donna. Do they know where you are? I mean you're family do they know you're travelling with Rose?"

"Well not really, although my Granddad sort of waved us off. I never explained"

"You just left him behind"

"Yeah"

"I didn't tell my family, kept it all a secret though Rose had encouraged me to speak to them...but I refused. It almost destroyed them"

"In what way?"

"They were imprisoned, they were tortured, my Mum, my Dad and my sister. It wasn't Rose's fault, in fact she herself was practically imprisoned and tortured and she saved them in the end...with a cost. But you need to be careful because you know Rose is...wonderful, brilliant, friendly but she is like fire, stand to close and people get burnt"

"Is that why you left her?" Donna snapped not wanting to show her fear. "I saw her after you and this Jack bloke was gone and she was probably worse than before! She's told me about your adventures and I know I haven't done lots yet but I thought at least I would be her best friend, I'll never leaver her, hurt her, but here today it's like you're more important and yet you're telling me to leave-"

"Donna, Donna you're not making any sense! All I'm trying to do is warn you to be careful" Martha shook Donna a bit and studied Donna's face. "You have no need to be jealous, Rose might call me her best friend but good god that girl is best friends with the universe...well minus the villains"

"Just being silly" Donna murmured.

"It's ok" Martha said letting go of Donna.

DWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDW

"Good luck Ma'am" Colonel Mace said saluting Rose.

"I thought I said no salutes" Rose said frowning.

"Now who's giving orders?" Colonel Mace muttered under his breath as he walked off.

"Oh he is a cheeky bugger" Rose said to herself.

"Rose!"

Rose turned to see Donna running down the ramp. "Oh good we're just about to leave, come on off to the countryside!"

"I'm not coming with you" Donna said quickly. "I've been thinking, I'm sorry...I'm going home"

"As a visit or home forever?" Rose asked dreading the answer.

"Oh just for a visit, I just need to warn them about the ATMOS and explain to them properly" Donna said. "You didn't think I would go home did you? After what I've seen, besides didn't I tell you when we met up that I couldn't go back to a normal life?"

"Ready when you are Ma'am" the UNIT officer said.

"You can give me a lift" Donna said "come on!" she pulled Rose to car and the pair got in, snorting with laughter.

DWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDW

"_Remind me again, what are you doing exactly?" Mickey asked frowning as the Doctor continued his work with the sonic screwdriver, a television and the dimension cannon. _

"_I'm using the dimension cannon to connect to the TARDIS monitor so I can send a video message to Rose. I only just missed her the last time and I don't know if I can go to the right world just yet"_

"_Mate you didn't miss her you were to bloody scared to go up to her" Mickey said snorting. _

"_Was not"_

"_Was too"_

"_Not"_

"_Too"_

"_Not"_

"_Too"_

"_Not"_

"_Too"_

"_What are you ladies arguing about this time?" Jake asked strutting in with a large carrier bag and a box holding some plastic ups. _

"_The usual, the Doctor's denial of his fear that Rose won't accept him" Mickey said yawning. _

"_I don't have any fear!" the Doctor shouted. _

"_You do!" Mickey shot back. _

"_Quit it the pair of you and eat the lunch I got you" Jake said passing out the wrapped sandwiches from Subnet the best sandwich shop known to the westerners. "I got the smartie cookies for you as well Doc"_

"_Ooooooooh smartie cookies I love smartie cookies!" the Doctor babbled. "Not as good as bananas or jelly babies but they're good"_

"_Oh Christ Jake you created a monster" Mickey joked. _

"_Come on Doc get away from your super telly dimension cannon thing and eat lunch" Jake said rolling his eyes. _

DWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDW

Rose ran the door bell and waited patiently for Donna to answer, hoping to avoid her mother since she never had a good experience with Francine Jones. Donna answered the door and the first thing that came out of Rose's mouth was;

"You would not believe the day I'm having" she said. "Come on we got a car to examine" she stalked over to Donna's mother's car and got onto her knees to look underneath. She then walked over to the hood and opened it up.

"I'll get us a vehicle" Ross Jenkins said.

"Anything without the ATMOS and don't point a gun it won't help" Rose said waving Ross off who began to run.

"Is it her? Is it her? Is it Rose Tyler?" a man's voice called out, there was a pause. "Ah! It's you!"

"Who?" Rose asked looking up to see a very familiar old man pointing at her. The newspaper seller on Christmas Eve. "Oh...it's you!"

"What! Have you two met before?" Donna squawked.

"Yeah Christmas Eve, she disappeared right in front of me!" the man said waving his hands at Rose.

"And you never said?" Donna said looking annoyed.

"Well you never said! Or you mentioned was that you saw two aliens and one of them saved your life while the other ate Lance, I never liked Lance"

"Neither have I" Rose muttered causing Donna to glare at her.

"Wilf Ma'am, Wilfred Mott" Wilf said introducing himself. "And you must be one of them aliens!"

"Yeah don't shout it out I don't need fanatics tailing me, had enough of those. Nice to meet you Wilf" Rose said shaking Wilf's hand.

"An alien hand" Wilf said in an awed voice.

"Donna?" Rose said starting to feel uncomfortable.

"She's not answering" Donna said shaking her head. "What is it Sontruns?"

"Sontarans" Rose corrected. "But what are they doing? Controlling the cars isn't enough for them, is no one answering?"

"Hold on" Donna murmured. "Martha! Hold on she's here" Donna passed the phone to Rose.

"Martha tell Colonel Mace that it's the Sontarans. They could be in the file. But if they're in the factory don't fire you'll get massacred. I'll be back soon. Have you got that?"

"Sontarans don't shoot" Martha said. "Got it" she then hung up. Rose stared at the phone briefly, Martha didn't sound like Martha at all, she wondered what was wrong.

Rose began to use the sonic screwdriver on the ATMOS again. "But you didn't find anything the last time" Donna pointed out.

"Well now I know what too look for" Rose said.

"The thing is Rose, Donna is my only grandchild and you got to promise to take care of her" Wilf said.

"She takes care of me Wilf" Rose said.

"Oh that's my Donna, she was always bossing us around even when she was a little girl, the little general we called her"

"Yeah don't start" Donna said getting embarrassed.

"And the boys she turned up with, she had one every other week. Hey who was the one with the nail vanish?"

"Mathew Richards. He's in Kilburn now...with a man"

Suddenly spikes shot out of the ATMOS. "whoa, temporal pockets" Rose muttered. "I thought there was something else in there."

"What is it hiding though?" Donna asked.

"Hello there what are you three up to?" a female voice said. Rose looked up to see the face of Sylvia Noble. "Oh its you! Rose what's her name"

"Yeah that's me" Rose said waving.

"What you met her as well?" Wilf asked looking confused.

"Dad it's the woman from the wedding!" Sylvia cried out "when you were made up with the Spanish flu, I'm warning you! Last time that girl turned up it was a disaster!"

Suddenly smoke came out of the ATMOS.

"Get back!" Rose shouted, jumping away from the car. "This will stop it" a spark shot through the smoke as Rose used the sonic screwdriver.

"I told you" Sylvia coughed. "She's blown up the car! Who is she anyway? What sort of girl blows up cars?"

"Not now Mum" Donna said.

"Oh should I make an appointment?" Sylvia asked sarcastically stomping off.

"That wasn't just exhaust fumes" Rose said sniffing. "It's some sort of gas"

"And is it aliens? Is it aliens?" Wilf asked.

"Is it poisonous? Because if they got poisonous gas in every car on Earth..." Donna trailed off. Rose looked round the street to see the ATMOS sticker on every car. Wilf climbed into the car.

"It's not safe, I'll get it away" Wilf said starting the car.

"Granddad don't!" Donna shouted. But the car doors slammed shut, the lights turned on and the fumes were released from the exhaust pipe. "Turn it off! Granddad get out of there"

"I can't!" Wilf said holding up the keys. "It's locked. It's them aliens again!"

The gases continued and soon every car was releasing them. Donna was screaming and banging on the window, angry tears falling fast on her cheeks. Rose attempted to get the door open with the sonic screwdriver but nothing worked. She attempted again to turn of the ATMOS.

She stood in the middle of the road frozen, not sure how to save the world at all.

"ROSE!"


	21. A Sky Full Of Poison

**Previously:**

_The gases continued and soon every car was releasing them. Donna was screaming and banging on the window, angry tears falling fast on her cheeks. Rose attempted to get the door open with the sonic screwdriver but nothing worked. She attempted again to turn of the ATMOS. _

_She stood in the middle of the road frozen, not sure how to save the world at all. _

"_ROSE!" _

"He's gonna choke, ROSE!" Donna shrieked as Rose fiddled underneath the car trying to stop the ATMOS.

"It won't open!" Rose growled. She heard footsteps run past her and sat up to see Sylvia Noble run round the car and smash the front screen with an axe.

"Well don't just stand there! Get him out!" Sylvia shouted at Donna. Donna got moving and helped to pull Wilf out of the car. The pair began to help him walk towards the house with Rose following them.

"Thanks" Wilf muttered.

"I can't believe you got an axe!" Donna said.

"Well it works" Sylvia protested.

"Just get into the house. Close all the doors and windows" Rose advised them. A taxi drove up the curb and the window rolled down as Ross shoved his head out.

"Rose! This is all I could find without ATMOS" he shouted as Rose ran towards him.

"Donna are you coming?" she called.

"Yeah!"

"Donna don't go, look what happens every time that Rose girl appears. Stay with us please" Sylvia pleaded.

"Don't listen to her my darling. Go with her!" Wilf said pushing Donna towards the taxi.

"DAD!" Sylvia shrieked.

"Don't listen to her, go with Rose. That's my girl!" Donna climbed into the taxi with Rose and shut the door. "Bye!" Wilf shouted waving.

Donna smiled sadly back at him as the taxi drove away, Martha's words haunted her, she didn't want to have her family hurt because of her need to see the stars but she couldn't leave Rose either.

DWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDW

Ross parked the car just before the barrier; Rose leaped out and held the door for Donna who slammed it shut.

"Ross look after yourself, stay in the building" Rose said.

"Will do" Ross said nodding before Rose strolled off with Donna by her side.

"The air is disgusting" Donna croaked out in between coughs.

"Doesn't bother me, get inside the TARDIS" Rose said looking concerned. Donna began to walk away when Rose called her back. "Oh! I haven't given you a key!" she pulled out a silver key from her pocket and passed it to Donna. "Yours, you're a permanent companion now. Would get all sentimental but since you're choking, we'll save that for later yeah?"

"Good idea" Donna said taking the key. Rose ran off towards the barrier. "Where are you going?" Donna shouted.

"To stop a war!" Rose called back before ducking under the barrier.

DWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDW

"Right then, here I am" Rose shouted as she stalked into the base. "Whatever you do Colonel Mace, do not engage in battle with the Sontarans. There's nothing better than a war to get them hyper"

"And what do suggest we do?" Colonel Mace demanded.

"I got the TARDIS, I can get on their ship" Rose said calmly. She spotted Martha sitting on the end of the controls and walked up to her. "Come on" she whispered taking Martha's hand and pulling her up. She inwardly flinched, Martha's skin felt wrong, it was cooler and harder. She had a feeling this wasn't Martha Jones.

The pair ran to the alley where the TARDIS was supposed to be only to see the gas. Rose let go of Martha's hand and ran in to find there was literally nothing but gas.

"But where's the TARDIS?" Martha asked looking upset.

Rose shuddered when she felt something fizzy touch her skin, she stuck her tongue out and felt the tingles. "I can taste it, in the air! Blah! It's a sort of metal tang...teleport exchange." Rose walked back up to Martha "It's the Sontarans they've taken it. I'm stuck...on Earth...AGAIN! How rubbish is that? Sorry no offense but still!"

"So what do we do?" Martha asked taking a step forward to her.

"Well...a ship should never detect it" Rose murmured staring at Martha with suspicion. Martha turned round and glared at her.

"What?" she snapped.

"I was just wondering, have you told your family?" Rose asked.

"NO! What for?" Martha snapped. Rose knew immediately that this was not Martha Jones, Martha would have phoned her family, Martha wouldn't have snapped like this. For god sake Martha would do anything for her family.

"Gas" Rose prompted "it's not safe outside"

"Of course! I will yeah" the fake Martha said "what about Donna? Where is she?"

"Oh...she's gone home" Rose lied. "She's not like you, she's not a soldier." It sickened Rose to see Martha's face look gleeful to that. "Right then, back we go" she said running off back to the base.

DWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDW

"Change of plan!" Rose shouted as she kicked the doors open.

"Good to have you fighting along side us Ma'am" Colonel Mace said.

"I'm not fighting, I'm not fighting as in not fighting got it?" Rose said running along reading over people's shoulders. "Now, has anyone worked out what this gas is yet?"

"We're working on it" fake Martha said.

"It's dangerous not lethal till it reaches 80 density. We have reports of death in the middle of Tokyo city" said a blonde woman.

"Who are you?" Rose asked the woman.

The woman stood up and saluted. "Captain Marianne Price, Ma'am"

"Oh put your hand down" Rose said rolling her eyes. Running back to Colonel Mace's side.

"Local base has tracked the signal Ma'am. Coming from 5000 miles from the Earth, we're guessing that's what triggered the cars" Colonel Mace said. Showing Rose a screen of the Earth with a red blob and red signals coming out.

"That must be the Sontarans ship" Rose said.

"We're preparing for a strike" Colonel Mace said.

"You can't do that! You won't be able to scratch the surface" Rose said. "Let me talk to them"

"Are you even authorised to speak for the behalf of Earth?" Colonel Mace asked.

"Mate I spoke on behalf of Earth instead of Harriet Jones two years ago, I can do it again" Rose said glaring as she stuck the sonic screwdriver into the controls. "Calling to the Sontaran Command Ship" she shouted, opening up a screen. "On the paragraph two of the intergalactic rules of engagement. This is Rose Tyler"

DWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDW

"_I got a connection!" the Doctor shouted excitedly. "Rose!" he caught the sight of a redheaded woman, the same woman that night a couple weeks back before the dimension cannon sparked and the connection snapped. "DAMN! No! Just for one minute, one minute I could have spoken to her and the blasted thing breaks!"_

"_Mate calm down" Mickey said. "What did you see?"_

"_The inside of the TARDIS and that redhead" the Doctor said glumly. _

"_The readings on this is going wild Doc" Jake said holding up the battered dimension cannon. "Could it have been the TARDIS that did it?"_

"_Let me see them" the Doctor said ripping the dimension cannon out of Jake's hands. _

"_Oi! Didn't yer ma ever tell you not to snatch?" Jake growled. _

_The Doctor's eyes widened. "Impossible" he breathed. _

"_What? What is it?" Mickey asked. _

"_It says...the timelines they're...everything depends on..."_

"_Everything depends on what?" Jake asked. _

"_Donna Noble!"_

"_Who?" Mickey and Jake asked in unison looking confused. _

"_The redhead Rose is travelling with!" _

DWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDW

"Rose Tyler, breathing your last?" one of the Sontarans said.

"My god they're like trolls" Colonel Mace said looking disgusted and shocked.

"So they do!" Rose said. "So tell me General Staal. Since when did you lot become cowards?" she plonked herself into a chair, smirking, from the TARDIS memory banks she knows that the Doctor faced these and knew exactly how to wind them up.

"How dare you!" General Staal snarled.

"Oh that's diplomacy" Colonel Mace said sarcastically.

"Rose Tyler you in fume my honour!" General Staal shouted.

"Yeah, really glad you didn't say belittle because that I would have a field day with. But poison gas? That's a weapon of a coward and you know it. Staal you could blast this planet out of the sky but you're sitting up there in your ship watching it die! Where's the fight in that? Where's the honour? Or are you lot planning something else? This isn't normal Sontaran warfare, what are you lot up to?"

"It would be unwise to reveal your plan to the opposing party" Staal said stiffly.

"Ah! The war isn't going to well then" Rose said spinning side to side in her chair. "Losing are we?"

"Such a suggestion is impossible!" Staal snapped.

"What war?" Colonel Mace asked.

"The war between the Sontarans and the Rutans" Rose said. "Been raging across the stars for fifty thousand years. Fifty thousand years of bloodshed for what?" she spat out.

"For victory!" Staal said. "Sontar-ha!"

"Sontar-ha! Sontar-ha! Sontar-ha! Sontar-ha!" the other Sontarans chanted. Rose rolled her eyes and pulled out her sonic screwdriver and turned it over to Eastenders.

"Oh I haven't watched this in years" she exclaimed as Peggy Mitchell slapped someone. "Nothing ever changes"

"Miss Tyler, I seriously recommend you let someone with authorisation take over" Colonel Mace said scowling.

Rose ignored him and turned the channel back to the Sontarans. "Finished?" she asked.

"You wouldn't be so quick to ridicule if you have seen our prize" Staal said. "Behold! We are the first Sontarans in history to capture a TARDIS" Rose bit her lip when she saw the TARDIS behind Staal.

"Well as prizes go that's...Noble" Rose prayed that Donna could hear her and could help. "As they say in Latin Donna Nobis patruim. Did you ever wonder about that design, a phone box? It contains a phone, telephonic device you can use on occasion, rather symbolic. Only we could communicate you and I" she made a gesture to her ear and really hoped that Donna cottoned on to what she was saying.

"All you can communicate is your distress Rose Tyler" Staal said.

"Bit stupid showing it to me" Rose said, holding up her sonic screwdriver. "Because I got a remote control"

"Cease transmission!" Staal ordered.

DWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDW

Rose snatched up the clipboard from fake Martha that had the results from the gas. "Carbon Monoxide, Hydrogen Carbons, Nitrates and 10 non-identified. Seems to be some sort of heavy gas. Seen anything like it?"

"Seems to be something the Sontarans invented" Rose said watching the gas in the tube. "It must be used for something else than just poison"

"On screen and active" Captain Price said.

"Positions ladies and gentlemen. Detcon 1 initiated" Colonel Mace shouted.

"OI!" Rose shouted stalking up to the Colonel. "I told you not to launch!"

"Gas is at 60 density, people are dying Ms Tyler, and we have no choice" Colonel Mace said.

"Launching in 60" Captain Price said. "59...58...57...Nuclear grid now co-ordinating...54...53"

"You're making a mistake Colonel, for once I hope the Sontarans are ahead of you" Rose spat out.

"America online, United Kingdom online, France online, India online, Pakistan online, China online, North Korea online. All systems locked and co-ordinated. Launching in 10" Captain Price said in monotone into her headset. "9, 8, 7, 6, 5..."

"God help us" Colonel Mace muttered.

"4, 3, 2, 1, 0" Captain Price said. Everyone held their breath but nothing seemed to be happening. Suddenly the screen switched off.

"What is it? What happened?" Colonel Mace asked. Rose glanced at the fake Martha who stood there expressionlessly. "Did we launch? Well did we?"

"Negative sir" Captain Price said. "Launch codes have been wiped sir. It must be the Sontarans"

"Can we override it?" Colonel Mace asked. Rose stepped up to fake Martha's side.

"Negative Sir" Captain Price answered.

"That nuclear weapon wouldn't have even dented the ship." Rose said calmly. "So why would the Sontarans be so keen to stop it? Any ideas?" Rose asked fake Martha.

"How should I know?" fake Martha shrugged.

Suddenly there was an announcement from Ross through the walkie talkies that the Sontarans were in the building. Colonel Mace commanded them to battle. Rose swallowed; she knew if the humans went into battle they would be slaughtered.

"Get them out of there" she whispered. "Please"

"All troops open fire" Colonel Mace barked out ignoring her.

Ross gave out a brutal running commentary on how their weapons weren't working and Rose flinched out the sounds of the men dying. They could hear a shooting sound and the walkie talkie crackled, no other sound could be heard.

"Greyhound 40 report over" Colonel Mace said looking concerned. "Greyhound 40 report! Greyhound 40 report!"

"His name wasn't Greyhound 40, it was Ross" Rose said quietly. "Now listen to me and GET THEM OUT OF THERE!"

"Retract from all stations" Colonel Mace said steadily. "Retreat! Order imperative, retreat!" From the walkie talkie they could hear a battle going, people screaming and from their CCTV they knew the Sontarans had taken over the factory again. "They've taken the factory" Colonel Mace said stating the obvious.

"Why? Why do they need it?" Rose asked. "Why attack now? What are they up to? Times like this I could do with the Doctor"

"Don't we all Ma'am, don't we all." Colonel Mace said. "I saw the tape of Canary Wharf; it was a tragic way for him to go"

"Yes it was" Rose whispered.

"Launch grid online" Captain Price announced. Suddenly the screens turned off again. "They must be in the system sir; it's coming from UNIT itself"

"Trace it, find out where it's coming from and quickly. Gas levels?" Colonel Mace ordered.

"66 in major population areas in rising" Captain Price said.

DWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDW

"Why are they only defending the factory after we're inside" Colonel Mace muttered as he scanned the sheets of paper in his office.

"Because they wanted UNIT here" Rose whispered. "You gave them something they needed. Something they now have hidden in the factory. Something precious"

"Then we got to recover it. This quandy signal thing, how does it work?"

"It's the bullets, it causes expansion on the ship" Rose said.

"I'm on it" Colonel Mace said walking out of his office.

"FOR THE BILLIONTH TIME YOU CAN'T FIGHT SONTARANS!" Rose shouted after him. She glared at the Colonel's back before she pulled out her mobile and settled into the corner. She dialled Donna's number, which she luckily added that day when Donna demanded Rose should in case of emergencies.

Donna answered immediately. "What happened? Where are you?"

"Still on Earth but don't worry I got my secret weapon" Rose said quietly.

"What's that?"

"You"

"Somehow that's not making me happy Blondie" Donna snapped into the phone. "Can't you just zap us back to Earth with that remote thing?"

"Yeah I don't have a remote. I really needed you on that ship, which is why I made them move the TARDIS. I'm sorry but I need you to go outside"

"But there's Sontruns out there!" Donna said in a childlike voice.

"Sontarans" Rose corrected. "They're not going to be hanging about drinking coffee; I can talk you through it."

"What if they find me?"

"I know, I know and I wouldn't ask but I have nothing else. The planet is choking Donna"

There was a pause before Donna replied. "What do you need me to do?" she asked.

"The Sontarans are in the factory which means they have a teleport on their ship and they deadlocked it. I need you to reopen the link" Rose said quickly.

"But I can't even mend a fuse!" Donna protested.

"Donna stop talking about yourself like that" Rose hissed into the phone. "If I a nineteen year old council estate kid could do something like that then you can as well!"

"You nineteen? Keep dreaming Blondie" Donna snorted into the phone.

"Yes well I'm not now obviously" Rose said rolling her eyes. There was moments pause.

"There's a Sontrun – Sontaran out there"

"Did he see you?"

"No he had his back to me"

"Right Donna on the back of his neck there's a plug like hole. A probic vent, one blow to the probic vent knocks him out"

"But he's going to kill me!"

"I'm sorry, I swear to god I am so sorry but you got to try!"

There was a long pause before Donna answered. "Back in the neck!" she said smugly.

"Oh! Now then you got to find the external junction to the teleport" Rose instructed Donna.

"Well what does it look like?"

"Erm circular panel. Looks a bit like a left t with a horizontal line in it with two fs back to back" Rose said scrunching her nose up in memory of the book she studied a long time ago.

"Well there's a door" Donna said weakly.

"Is there a switch by the side?"

"Yeah there is but it's Sontaran shape you need three fingers."

"You got three fingers" Rose pointed out with a frown.

"Oh yeah" there was a pause. "I'm through"

"You're fantastic you are" Rose said considering kissing the phone.

"Shut up!" Donna whispered. "Right...to the livery"

Rose spotted the Colonel coming back in. "got to go keep the line on" Rose whispered quickly before running out of the office. "I SAID YOU DON'T STAND A CHANCE!"

"Positions" Colonel Mace said throwing a gasmask at Rose. "That means everyone" Rose began to follow when the fake Martha came up to her.

"You're not going without me" she said.

"Wouldn't dream of it" Rose said.

DWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDW

"Latest firing stock, what do you think?" Colonel Mace asked holding a large gun to Rose. "Ms Tyler?"

"Are you my mummy?" she couldn't resist, wearing the gasmask brought memories back. She wished Jack or the Doctor were here to laugh alongside her.

"If you can concentrate!" Colonel Mace snapped. "Bullets with a rad steal coating. No copper surface, should overcome the signal." He handed Rose one of the bullets.

"But the Sontarans have got lasers" Rose argued waving the bullet in the Colonel's face. "You can't even see in this fog, how will this work?"

"Thank you Ms Tyler" Colonel Mace said bitterly. "Thank you for your lack of faith but this time I'm not listening" he yanked off his gasmask and pulled his hat on. He began a rather inspiring speech, Rose had to give him credit for being a good leader even if he won't listen. Suddenly there was loud engine noise; she looked up to see the gas being cleared up by some sort of aircraft.

"It's the Valiant" Rose whispered remembering her time there. Remembering the Doctor for one moment. Remembering a trip when she herself was labelled Valiant Child, where she had been prophesised to die in a battle, well she was still alive and she no longer considered herself a child, so that prophecy is a lie...just like the Doctor told her it was.

She laughed loudly and pulled of her mask. "That's fantastic!"

"I take it you're impressed Ms Tyler?" Colonel Mace said with amusement.

"Yeah all right I'll admit it" Rose grumbled walking away.

DWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDW

The bullets were working and UNIT were fighting the Sontarans as they managed to get back into the factory. Rose snuck of away from the Colonel and dragged the fake Martha with her, using the sonic screwdriver to find the signal she needed to follow.

"But shouldn't we follow the Colonel?" Martha asked.

"You and me Martha like old times. Come on!" Rose said cheerfully. The signal led them down the stairs and into a dark corridor which immediately lit up. "No Sontarans here, they can't resist a battle" Rose murmured. "Here we go" the signal led them to a door which Rose used the sonic screwdriver on to open.

They walked in to see Martha lying on a metal grid in a white hospital night gown. Rose ran to her side and landed on her knees as she cupped Martha's cheek. "Oh Martha I'm so sorry" she whispered. She slid her hand down to Martha's pulse. "Still alive." She heard footsteps and the click of a gun; she turned to see fake Martha holding a gun to her head. "Am I supposed to be impressed?"

"Wish you carry a gun now?" fake Martha asked.

"Not at all" Rose said.

"I've been stopping the nuclear launch all this time" fake Martha gloated.

"You did exactly what I wanted" Rose said standing up to face fake Martha. "I needed to stop them myself never mind the bleeding Sontarans. Didn't need Earth to start a war, you! Are a triple agent"

"When did you work it out?" fake Martha asked frowning.

"About you? Right from the start" Rose said calmly. "Martha always puts her family first, even before me. Also you stink! You might as well have worn a t-shirt saying CLONE...though not in front of Jack, you remember him don't you? Because you got all of her memories. That's why the Sontarans were protecting her, to get you inside of UNIT. Martha Jones is keeping you alive" Rose ripped the helmet of off Martha's head causing both girls to gasp.

The clone fell to the floor with her hand clutching her chest, dropping the gun. Rose kicked it across the floor and helped Martha up. "It's all right sweetie I got you" Rose said soothingly.

"There was this thing Rose, this alien thing with this head" Martha babbled panicky.

Rose's phone began to ring and Rose walked off to answer it. "Hold on Martha for a minute"

DWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDW

The clone died slowly, she managed to tell Martha (who was now also wearing Rose's leather jacket) what was in the gas which Rose figured out it was clone feed which meant the Sontarans were converting Earth to be a breeding planet. Rose managed to fix up the teleport bringing back Donna just in time, who hugged Rose tightly while screaming how much she hated Rose. The three of them stepped into the teleport after Rose brought the TARDIS back.

"Here we go the old team back together, well new team, actually technically the new, new team."

"We're not going back on the ship are we?" Donna asked looking terrified.

"No we're going to..." Rose typed in the code and they were teleported. "Here the Rattigan Academy, owned by-"

Rattigan came out looking panicked while holding a gun at them "it wasn't my fault! They lied to me!"

Rose sighed and yanked the gun out of Rattigan's hand. "This is becoming a theme" she grumbled.

"Nice jacket, it suits you" Donna said as her and Martha strolled past Rattigan.

"I prefer my red one to be honest. Used to wear it on all of my trips with Rose"

DWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDW

Rose had managed to build a device to clean the atmosphere. She, Martha and Donna embraced one another in victory while Rattigan looked awed.

"You're a genius" he cried out to her.

"She's brilliant" Martha said.

Rose simply picked up the device and ran back to the building. "We're in trouble now" she said as the others followed. She stepped into the teleport and looked back at the three. "Right, so...Donna thank you for everything. Martha you too, really you have done so much for me, oh so many times. Luke do something clever with your life"

"You're saying goodbye" Donna whispered.

"Sontarans are never defeated." Rose said, pressing a few buttons on her device. "They'll be preparing for war, I...well I made this to recalibrate Sontaran air so..."

"You're going to ignite them" Martha said quietly.

"You'll kill yourself!" Donna said feeling dread and horror.

"Just send it up by itself" Martha pleaded. "Put it on a delay"

"I can't" Rose whispered.

"Why not?" Donna asked.

"I got to give them a choice" Rose said, tears building up in her eyes. "It's what the Doctor would have wanted, to give them a chance. Tell Jack that I'm sorry, tell him and Sarah Jane I said goodbye" she then pressed down on the teleport and disappeared.

DWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDW

"Oh excellent" Staal said as Rose appeared.

Rose held the button up to him. "General Staal you know what this is" she said. "You got one other option, you can leave. Just leave, no one would ever have to know"

"You're strategy would be wise if Sontarans feared death" Staal said. "We do not!

"I'll do this Staal, if it saves the Earth I'll do it" Rose said.

"Then why haven't you?"

"Because I'm giving you a chance. I'm warning you"

"But I'm saluting you! Take aim"

The Sontarans had the weapons trained on her; they had missiles trained on Earth.

"THIS IS YOUR LAST CHANCE!" she shouted.

"Do it then! You'll die too"

Rose shook, she couldn't do it, she couldn't kill them but she had to. They started their battle chant and dance. The weapons were about to be fired to Earth. Suddenly the next thing she knew the teleport was working and she was gone.

She landed back at Rattigan's Academy. She panted heavily and pushed her blonde hair out of her face, as she struggled up she got swept up by Martha into a huge hug. Martha then settled her down when she noticed that Rose was shivering. Donna walked up slowly and slapped Rose's arm, hard. Before kneeling before her and taking her hand.

DWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDW

That night the three of them had a glass of wine at Martha's flat and toasted to the brave Luke Rattigan who finally did something clever. The next morning Martha walked them to the TARDIS.

"You can come with us" Rose said quietly. "I want you back, I've missed you"

"I can't Rose, I've got Tom and UNIT" Martha said sadly. "But I do miss you, you are my best friend. You're welcome to my place anytime, in fact you should come back soon, meet Tom...maybe be my maid in honour?"

"I would love to!" Rose said hugging Martha. "Are you sure you don't want to have one more trip?"

"Rose I had my one more trip a long time ago" Martha said smiling. She turned to Donna. "You take care of her; she's a bit reckless as you've seen. And I want you to be at my wedding as well. Rose said she'll give you my number, so ring anytime"

"Oh I will" Donna said pulling Martha into a hug. "It was nice meeting you Martha Jones."

"Right then" Rose said clapping her hands. "Off we go. I think Donna we should put the TARDIS on random again, what do you think?"

"Way ahead of you Space-Girl. I'm driving" Donna said running into the TARDIS.

Rose laughed as she hugged Martha one last time. "I am so proud of you Martha Jones. I'll see you around yeah?"

"Goodbye Rose" Martha said pulling away and Rose ran into the TARDIS Martha watched as it faded away. "Good luck, I think you'll need it" Martha whispered before walking away.


	22. Rose's Son

The pair stepped out to find themselves in a dark tunnel with metal barriers scattered across. Rose frowned slightly while Donna grinned.

"Not bad for my first go" Donna said proudly. "And the whole thing was set on random"

"You landed us in a dark, dank and rather smelly tunnel" Rose pointed out.

"Well better than that bloody freezer you landed us in when you did random" Donna snapped.

"I thought you enjoyed the snowball fight and freeing the Ood" Rose said.

"Didn't like the almost death by Ood" Donna grumbled.

Suddenly three men carrying guns came running out. "Stay where you are!" the younger one with huge pimples shouted. "Drop your weapons"

The pair held their arms out. "We're not armed" Rose said flickering her hands back and forth. "See no weapons"

"Look at the back of their hands" one of the men said. "They're clean."

"Right then lets have them processed" the pimply boy said. "You first" he said to Rose. The two other men handed their weapons the pimply boy and grabbed hold of Rose on either side.

"OI!" Rose shouted. "Clean hands!"

"Leave her alone GI Joe wannabes" Donna snarled following them.

The shoved Rose's arm into a machine and she gasped. "Something tells me this isn't going to clean my hands- OW!"

"What are you doing to her?" Donna demanded.

"Everyone gets processed" the pimply boy said.

"It's taking a tissue sample" Rose choked out. "Ow, ow, ow, OW! It's extracted it, some kind of accelerator" she frowned. The machine let her go and she stumbled back, Donna ran to her.

"Are you all right?" she asked holding Rose's hand up to see a long cut on the back of Rose's hand.

"Yeah I'm fine" Rose whispered as the doors of the large silver and blue metal thing opened up and smoke came floating out, legs could be seen. The smoke cleared up as a teenage boy with brown sticky up hair and chocolate brown eyes stepped out. A boy that looked a lot like the Doctor to Rose's surprise.

"Arm yourself" the pimply boy said to the new one handing him a gun. The new boy stared at the gun in wonder.

"Where did he come from?" Donna asked.

"From me" Rose whispered staring at the boy in shock.

"From you? How?" Donna asked. The boy was putting the gun together, taking the safety off. "Who is he?"

"Well he is...he's my son" Rose said.

The boy finished snapping with the gun and grinned at Rose. "Hello Mum"

DWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDW

"Are you prepared to take orders? To fight?" the pimply boy asked Rose's son.

"Instant mental download strategic virtual protocol with 5000 strategies and good physical health" Rose's son replied as the pair got into position for battle. "Oh I'm ready"

"Did you say son?" Donna asked Rose in disbelieve.

"Yep technically he is" Rose said.

"How?"

"Progeniation Reproduction from a single cell orgasm" Rose replied. "Means one parent is biologically mother and father. Takes the cells rearrange them and make them grow...very quickly apparently"

They was a clanking sound and shadows could be seen on the tunnels ceiling. "Something's coming" Rose's son shouted.

"Its the Hath!" the pimply boy shouted. The shooting began immediately and Rose and Donna ducked down as the Hath and the boys fought. A man got killed by a fish like creature that must have been a Hath.

"They're coming through the tunnel we go to block it" one of the other men shouted. "Get the detonator"

"You're not detonating anything!" Rose shouted. Running out to stop them. The Hath came through and her son began to fight with one of them in hand to hand combat. Rose turned in time to see Donna being dragged away by a Hath. "DONNA!" her son picked up the detonator. "No don't!" but it was too late he slammed his hand onto the button and the alarms began.

They ran as fast as they could just barely missing the explosion that shook the tunnel causing a block in the tunnel.

"You sealed off the tunnel" Rose said quietly. "Why did you do that?" she said glaring at her son.

"Because they were trying to kill us!" her son protested.

"They got my friend!"

"Collateral damage" her son said coldly. "He lost two of his men, you don't see him whinging"

"Her name is Donna, she isn't collateral damage and if I hear you referring her to that again then I'll ground you" Rose said crossing her arms. Her son looked ashamed. "Now I'm going to find her and you're coming with me"

"You're not going anywhere" the pimply boy said holding his gun at them. "You don't make sense, no guns, no marks, no fight in you. I'm taking you to General Cobb, now move!"

DWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDW

Donna coughed loudly as she woke, she found herself mostly alone in a pile of rubble, a small fire burning not so far from her. She looked round to see the Hath thing bubbling away in pain clutching it's shoulder. She crawled up to it.

"Shh, hello my name is Donna" she said quietly. "Does your arm hurt you?" the Hath made a bubbly noise. "Is that a yes?" it nodded. "Let me look at it, keep still" it shifted away from her. "Still, no move" it nodded and allowed her to touch him. "Half fish, half human, how the hell am I supposed to know" Donna grumbled to herself. "Is that a shoulder, feels like a shoulder? I think it's dislocated, oh you poor thing"

Suddenly a large gang of the Haths came with guns pointing at Donna; she held her hands out to them.

"I'm just trying to help!" she protested. "I've done a first aid course, I can help. I won't leave him!" the nearest Hath blinked and she turned to the injured one. "This is going to hurt sweetheart, on the count of three, one, two, three." She pushed in his arm and the other Haths took the safety of their guns off, she held her hands out to them.

The Hath she had just helped held his hands up and bubbled away, soon the other Haths lowered their guns. Donna slowly got up.

"Now then I'm Donna Noble, who the hell are you?"

DWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDW

"I'm Rose" Rose said to her son. "Rose Tyler, do you have a name?" she asked nervously.

"No, it hasn't be assigned yet" her son said.

"So you don't have a name...what do you have?"

"The knowledge to fight, tactics, military history" her son said. "I'm a generated anomaly"

"And you know this because...?" Rose asked.

"I...I don't know. I know a lot of things, physics, chemistry, biology, so much science, so much history, I know lots..." her son said frowning.

"John" Rose said suddenly.

"Pardon?" her son said.

"John Peter Tyler. That's your name, I decided" Rose said quickly.

"Three names? Wicked!" John said looking gleeful.

"So where are we?" Rose asked. "What planet is this?"

"Messaline, well what's left of it" the pimply boy said.

DWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDW

They were led into a room that looked like a theatre which was now used as some type of army camp, soldiers were being made in one corner, soldiers were sorting out weapons, beds for the injured...it was an army camp in a theatre and Rose felt a bit depressed for these people.

An old man walked up to them.

"General Cobb I presume" Rose said politely to him.

"Found in the western tunnels I've been told. No known origins, there was a pacifist group in the eastern zone three generations back, we lost contact with them...is that where you came from?" General Cobb asked.

"Eastern zone, yep that's me. I'm Rose Tyler" Rose said cheerfully.

"And I'm John" John said eagerly.

"Don't think you can infect us with your peacemaking" General Cobb said coldly. "We must fight to the very end"

"That's all right, can't stay anyway. I got to find my friend" Rose said.

"You can't go it's against the regulations, we are at war" General Cobb said in a patronising tone.

"Yes I noticed, with the Hath" Rose said rolling her eyes, she might be blonde but she wasn't stupid. "But tell me, we're a bit out of circulation in the eastern zone who exactly are the Hath?"

General Cobb smiled and began to lead them round for a tour. "Back at the dawn of this planet these ancient halls were carved from the earth, our ancestors dreamt of a new beginning. A common dream of Human and Hath working together."

"What happened?" Rose asked.

"The dream died, broken along with Hath promises. They wanted it all for themselves those early pioneers they fought back. They used those machines to produce soldiers instead of commoners and began to battle for survival" General Cobb said sadly.

John was peering out of the large window, his eyes wide. "There's nothing but earth out there. Why's that? Why build everything underground?" he asked wonder in this voice.

"The surface is too dangerous" the pimply boy said.

"Then why build windows in the first place?" Rose asked frowning. "What does that plaque mean?"

"It is the rights and symbols of our ancestors" General Cobb said. "The meanings are lost in time"

"How long has this war been going on for?" Rose asked.

"Longer than anyone can remember. Countless generations being marked only by the dead." General Cobb spat out.

"Why fight all this time?" Rose asked.

"Because we must" John said automatically. "Every child of the machine is born with this knowledge. It's our inheritance; it's all what we know. How to fight and how to die"

"But not you" Rose whispered. "You know more"

"But why?" John whispered back.

"Because you're my son"

DWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDW

"Does this show the entire city including the Hath's side" Rose asked starring at the blue electronic map.

"Yes, why?" General Cobb asked.

"Well it would help us find Donna" Rose said.

"We got more important things to do" the pimply boy said shaking his head. "The progeniation machines are shut down for the night shift but as soon as they're active we can breed a whole segment out of you two"

"I'm not having grandchildren out of a giant flipping machine" Rose said. "I only just got to meet my son; I'm not prepared to have more or to have him having kids"

"We need more soldiers to find the source" General Cobb said.

"Oh a source, what's the source?" Rose asked.

"The breath of life" General Cobb said in a dramatic voice.

"And that would be...?"

"The beginning of the great one. By breathing life into the universe and she watched it done and she sighed."

"She, I like that" Rose said. "So it's a creation myth then"

"It's not a myth, it's real. That sigh was caught and kept and it's here somewhere and whoever has it controls this planet."

"Aha" John said suddenly causing Rose to jump. "I thought so!" his hand slipped into Rose's pocket and pulled out the sonic screwdriver. "There's a suppressed layer of information on this map, let me just-" he used the sonic screwdriver on the map and it grew bigger showing more tunnels and room that weren't on there before.

"Oh you're fantastic" Rose said ruffling John's hair.

"That must be the lost temple" General Cobb said dazedly. "The source must be inside. You showed us the way and look we're closer than the Hath! It's ours" he then walked off and began to give orders to the others. "Tell everyone to prepare to move out, we'll make more soldiers on the morning shift. Then we move out and reach the temple and finally peace will be restored. "

"Erm...call me old fashioned but if you wanted peace couldn't you just stop fighting?" Rose asked.

"Only once we have the source, it'll give us the power to erase every stinking Hath off of this planet" General Cobb snapped.

"Hang on!" Rose said. "Hang on first you're talking about peace now it's genocide!"

"For us that's the same thing" General Cobb said raising an eyebrow.

"Then you need to get a new dictionary" Rose said. "And when you do look for genocide and you'll see a little picture of me there with a caption saying OVER MY DEAD BODY!"

General Cobb chuckled "and you're the one that showed us the path of victory, you can consider the irony in your prison cell. Cline at arms" The pimply boy grabbed his gun and held it up to Rose. "I don't want them spreading treason and if you try something Rose Tyler then I make sure your boy dies first."

"Come on this way" Cline said nervously.

"I'm going to stop you Cobb, you know that" Rose said quietly.

"I have an army and the breath of god on my side Rose Tyler. What do you have?" General Cobb asked.

"This" Rose whispered tapping her temple.

"Take her away, lock her up and guard her" General Cobb ordered Cline.

"What about the new one?" Cline asked.

"Pacifist stock. Just as bad" General Cobb said pushing John into Rose.

DWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDW

They were shown into a cell and as Rose sat down on the bench she noticed the numbers again. "Those numbers" she murmured. "They've got to mean something more than that bloody breath of life story"

"You mean that's not true?" John asked. "Actually that makes sense, I mean what is the evidence? Hmm... Must be a piece of technology or a weapon that became the myth" John's eyes widened. "Oh god what is it with me? Why am I different from the others? Why don't I believe it like the others?"

"Because you're my son" Rose said. "You have different DNA and you have different knowledge and instincts programmed in you. My knowledge and instincts." Rose sighed. "Right I need to find Donna, stop General Cobb and the others fight the Hath and figure out what this breath of life is"

"But you are soldier like" John said more to himself than to Rose. "You're drawing up strategies like a proper general"

"I'm trying to stop the fighting" Rose said.

"Isn't any soldier" John shot back.

"Well I suppose you're right" Rose said pulling out her phone. "Good thing I gave Donna the upgrade before we met up with Martha." She began to dial the number.

"Rose?" Donna's voice warbled.

"Donna! You're alive!"

"Rose! Oh thank god, I am so glad to hear your voice. Are you all right?" Donna babbled.

"I'm with my son – John I named him – we're all right" Rose said assuring Donna. "Where are you?"

"I'm in the Hath camp. Those bloody Fish-Men have no knowledge of personal space, bit creepy." Donna said. "But I'm ok, however something weird is going on, they're all marching to this place that appeared on the map"

"Oh that was me and John...I'm afraid there might be a bit of a blood bath going on" Rose said wincing.

"What do you want me to do?" Donna asked.

"Just stay where you are, don't move"

"But I can help!" Donna protested. Suddenly there was a beeping noise and the phones went off.

DWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDW

They could hear the human soldiers chanting away. Rose closed her eyes and took a deep breath.

"Mum?" John asked.

"Yes John" Rose said.

"Would he...would the Doctor have accepted me...if he was here?"

Rose eyes shot open. "What?" she cried out. "How...what...why?"

"I have memories and instincts from you" John said staring at her with the Doctor's dark eyes. "I look like him, I act a bit like him, I think a bit like him...you made me into his son. Would he have accepted me?"

"I don't know darling, I honestly don't know" Rose said quietly. "Now, lets get out of here" she stood up and brushed off her jeans, lowering the zip of her leather jacket and fluffing out her hair.

"But how are we going to get out?" John asked.

"It's called distracting the guard, watch and learn darling watch and learn" Rose strolled up to the cell door, swaying her hips. "Hey" she whispered.

"I'm not supposed to talk to you, I'm on duty" Cline said.

"I know, _guarding _me. So does that mean I'm dangerous or do I need protecting" Rose asked

Cline smirked slightly. "Protecting for what?" he asked leaning in closer.

"Oh I don't know men like you" Rose said looking at him under her eyelashes. She suddenly pulled him in for a kiss, inwardly gagging as she let him slip his tongue in her mouth as she pulled out his gun and held it to his stomach. He pulled away alarmed. "Keep quiet and open the door"

"Urgh, I hope I never have to see that again" John said scrunching his nose up in disgust.

DWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDW

They walked down the stairs; Rose peered round the corner to see a guard coming up. "That's the way out" she whispered as they pulled back. John held up the gun he took from her earlier and Rose pulled the hand down. "Don't you dare, I'll distract him again"

"Urgh please no that was disgusting" John hissed back. John started to go through her pockets until he found a wind up mouse. "Why the hell have you got that?"

Rose shrugged. "TARDIS keeps putting strange things in my pockets."

John wounded the mouse up and placed it on the floor, he waited till the guard walked up to it before he knocked the guard out.

"Distract him not knock him out!" Rose cried out.

"Well it worked!" John protested.

"Just no more hurting people or I'll ground you!" Rose snapped.

DWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDW

Rose and John walked down a tunnel, Rose looking at the map when she stopped. "Wait, we're here, this is the end which means the secret tunnel is somewhere." She pulled out her sonic screwdriver and began to use it on the wall. "Must be a secret compartment somewhere"

"There's another one of those numbers" John said staring ahead.

"Must be some sort of cataloguing number left by the builders" Rose muttered.

"But it's counting down" John said.

"Found it" Rose pulling the wooden plank off and continued to use the sonic screwdriver.

"So what do you do...just travel?" John asked.

"Yep" Rose said popping the 'p'. "Through time and space. I save planets, rescue civilizations, defeat monsters and run a lot. That's my life and I wouldn't have it any other way. Got it!" the secret compartment opened up. The sounds of the soldiers marching could be heard. "Now...what was it I was saying about running?" Rose asked grabbing hold of John's hand before running down the tunnel.

They stopped in front of red lasers, red lasers that you generally don't see unless it's a spy film. Rose groaned to herself. "Great just great, another cliché to go through" she muttered before throwing the toy mouse in and watching it explode. She went to the controls, John stood by her side but not before noticing.

"Another plaque Mum" he muttered. "Always eight numbers counting down the closer we get"

"Here we go" Rose said taking the cover off of the controls. The sounds of the soldiers were getting closer and John pulled out his gun and went to go after them Rose dragged him back. "Just where do you think you're going young man?" she demanded.

"To stop them!" John snapped.

"I'm not letting you go out there killing" Rose hissed.

"But it's them or us" John protested. "I want to keep you safe Mum"

"Honey killing isn't the answer. It infects you and you'll never get rid of it" Rose said cupping her son's face.

"I don't have a choice" John muttered.

"You'll always have a choice" Rose said quietly.

"I'm sorry" John said pulling away.

"JOHN!"

DWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDW

"Watch and learn mother" John said throwing his gun to the side. "remember I'm the son of a Jericho Street Junior School under seven's bronze champion" he began to do a series of flips throughout the red laser beams, a grin of amazement and sheer pride grew on Rose's face as he stood up in front of her.

"Fantastic! You were fantastic!" she said launching herself onto him, he being taller than her picked her up and twirled her in the air. A grin on his face. "Fantastic" Rose laughed.

John put her back onto the ground. "General Cobb, I couldn't kill him Mum. I just couldn't. You were right I had a choice. And I didn't want to disappoint you Mum"

Suddenly the soldiers came bursting through and held their guns up.

"I'm warning you Cobb" Rose said. "If the source is a weapon then I'm going to make sure you'll never use it"

"Someone is going to die today" Cobb said "and it won't be me" he began to shoot at Rose who merely ran, John not so far behind her.

DWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDW

"So what's the travelling like?" John asked as the pair wandered through another tunnel, Rose studying the map carefully.

"Never a dull moment" Rose said "can be terrifying, brilliant and funny. All at the same time. I've seen some amazing things though, whole new worlds."

"I would love to see new worlds" John said wistfully.

"And you will" Rose said smiling up at her son.

"You mean...? You mean you'll take me with you?" John asked.

"Well I can't leave my son here can I?" Rose said.

"Oh thank you, thank you, thank you!" John said pulling Rose into another bone crushing hug. He let her go with a grin on his face. "Come on lets get a move on" he said before running ahead.

"Be careful there might be traps" Rose called after him. "Kids they never listen" she muttered. She walked along silently wondering, would the Doctor have accepted John? Would he have welcomed John with open arms? Would he have played Dad to the boy who knew nothing but the things he was programmed to know, teach him how to be an explorer? Somehow Rose doubted it, the Doctor may have been a father before but he never talked about it. Never like the domestic. If the human version of him was still alive, still here...would he? Yes probably, especially if it was their only chance to have a child together.

Suddenly she could hear gun shooting and John came running back to her. "They must have found their way round the lasers. Back to running again, I love the running don't you?"

"Love the running" Rose said her eyes sparkling with excitement and joy.

"Allonsy Mum" John said grabbing hold of her hand as they ran. They ran into a dead end. No other way to go. "We're trapped!" John shouted.

"Can't be" Rose said "this must be where the temple is" she felt the wall on her side. "This must be some kind of door."

"There's another plaque. Down to 1-2" John muttered, the shouts of the soldiers were coming closer. "Mum we got to hurry they're coming"

Rose using the sonic screwdriver managed to find the panel. "I got it!" she shouted. Starting to work on it.

"They're getting closer!" John shouted.

"One more minute..." Rose growled before the door opened. "Got it!" they ran in.

"They're coming!" John shouted looking a mixture of panic and fear. Rose tapped in a code and the door shut. "Phew that was close" John said.

"More fun that way" Rose said winking. "This isn't what I would call a temple though, more like a fusion drive transport. A spaceship"

"What the original one?" John asked. "The one the colony arrived on?"

"Could be but it would have run out over time. This one is still in power. Come on!" Rose said running to the side and up the stairs, she stopped when she saw sparks flying out from another door.

"It's the Hath" John said. "If General Cobb gets in from downstairs another war will break out."

Rose walked towards the computer she spotted not so far from the door. "Look what I found? The ships log" she said "the first colonization of human and hath"

"So it is the ship! What happened?" John asked.

"They used robots to build the construction" Rose said.

"What started the war though?" John asked.

"They found the mission commander dead" Rose whispered. "No agreement could have been made so the humans and Haths separated into factions – that must be it! The power vacuum made the two groups and got them fighting one another. Using the machines they now have two armies fighting a never-ending war."

"Two armies that are outside" John pointed out. He sighed and looked round, his eyes widening when he saw an electronic version of the plaques. "Look!"

"What about it?" Rose asked.

"The Dewey Decimal system Mum" John muttered. "This is a date. They were all dates"

"Oh John you are fantastic" Rose said. "Those plaques must have been the completion dates. They weren't going down they were going out, counting day by day as they built the city"

"Don't you get it Mum? The first number was 6012-07-17. Look at the date there" John said pointing out the electronic date.

"07-24" Rose read out quietly. "No...Seven days, seven days, seven days since the war broke out!"

"But they said years didn't they?" John said frowning.

"No, they said generations" Rose corrected. "And since they're like you they go through 20 generations a day. Passing on the legend each time."

"And the ruins?"

"Not ruins just empty rooms prepared to be filled" Rose said beaming. "But then that must mean the source is real, come on!" the two ran round the corner only to bump into Donna who looked muddy, weary and tear-stained.

"ROSE!" she shouted.

"DONNA!" Rose ran and scooped the redhead up into a hug. "I knew you couldn't stay still for one moment, you're filthy, what happened?"

"Well I saved a Hath, got harassed by them, they couldn't get enough with my hair and shoulder. Constantly patting! Then I took the surface route to come here only to almost die but quicksand!" Donna ranted, though Rose could see the sadness in her eyes, she suspected one of the Hath came with her and died for her.

There was a blasting sound and footsteps.

"Looks like General Cobb decided to join the party" Rose muttered. "Come on off we go!"

"But we don't know what we're looking for!" John protested.

"Is it me or can you smell flowers?" Donna asked sniffing.

DWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDW

They found beautiful green plants on the top of the building surrounding an glass orb filled with gases which Rose identified to be a third generation terraforming device. They got themselves surrounded by Haths and humans only to be stopped by Rose who broke the glass orb after giving a long speech on life and peace. The gases flew round slowly and the Haths and humans watched in amazement slowly dropping their weapons. Everyone but General Cobb who held his gun up to shoot Rose.

"NO!" John shouted stepping in the way, only to be shot in the heart.

Rose caught her son the moment he stumbled back and slowly laid him on the floor. She held him in her arms, tears falling down her cheeks quickly. "John? John? Talk to me honey" she pleaded.

"A new world" John whispered in wonder. "It's beautiful"

"John stay strong sweetie" Rose said stroking his hair. "You hold on now, you hear me? We got things to do now, hey? Hey? We can go anywhere, everywhere, you choose"

"Sounds good" John choked out.

Rose cupped his face. "You're my son, my baby boy and we got so much to do, to see, to run from. You're going to be great, more than great you're going to be fan-bloody-tastic! John?"

John slowly closed his eyes and Rose felt his heart stop beating and his breathing gone forever. She held him close and sobbed and she rocked herself.

"Two hearts" she whispered. "He's got two hearts; he's like me, if we wait, if we just wait"

"Rose...I don't think he's like you enough" Donna whispered curious on how two hearts could help.

"No...He was too much like me. That's what killed him, he was too much like me" Rose choked out. She leant down and pressed a kiss on John's forehead before laying him down properly. She let out a growl and ran to Cobb picking up his gun and holding it to his head. She took deep, harsh breaths before throwing the gun away. She knelt so she was face to face to him. "I. Never. Would" she got out. "Have you got that? I. Never. Would."

She got up on her feet and stared at everyone. "When you start this new world. This world of human and Hath. Remember that. MAKE THIS SOCIETY A MAN OR WOMAN THAT NEVER WOULD!" she walked over to John and pressed one last kiss on his forehead before going. Donna following her silently.

DWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDW

"You're not staying for the funeral?" Donna asked quietly as Rose started flickering switches,

"I've been to one funeral too many since Canary Wharf Donna" Rose whispered. "I can't take another. I need to see someone, someone who can understand"

The TARDIS flew quickly and silently, as if she was grieving as well, Donna suspected she was and kept silent. The moment the TARDIS landed Rose flew out of the door, Donna walked after her to see Rose on the floor being rocked by an elderly brunette woman as she sobbed her heart out.

DWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDW

Donna sat there silently leaning against Sarah Jane's window as she watched Rose and Luke Smith kick a ball round, she took a quick sip of her coffee.

"Rose has been through a lot recently" Sarah Jane said quietly behind her. "She needs people to take care of her. She's lost so much so quickly and with Martha leaving her..."

"I won't leave her" Donna said stubbornly. "I'm going to stay with that woman with the rest of my life"

"If Rose was the Doctor I would have disagreed." Sarah Jane said. "But Rose is different in so many ways no matter how alike she has become. She keeps coming back to me for comfort...the Doctor would rather stay alone than do that...so yeah I imagine you will be spending the rest of your life with her"

They both took a sip of coffee together as they watched Rose continue to play with Luke.

DWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDW

The Hath and Cline placed a pillow under John's head and a blanket over him when suddenly his mouth opened and a beautiful golden gas flew out, the pair exchanged bewildered looks. Cline leaned over John who suddenly woke up with gasp causing Cline to jump back.

"Hiya guys" John yawned.

"Bloody hell" Cline got out.

John ran off the two followed. Only to hear the shuttle being prepared to leave. "John what are you doing? Come back mate!"

"Sorry can't stop" John said through the radio. "What are you going to do tell my Mum?"

"But where are you going?" Cline exclaimed.

"Oh I don't know I got the whole universe. Planets to see, civilizations to rescue, monsters to defeat and an awful lot of running to do"


	23. The Unicorn and The Wasp

The TARDIS landed smoothly and the pair strolled out. Rose seemed reasonably normal despite their last adventure; Donna couldn't help but be glad Sarah Jane was there to help. After a take out dinner and spending the night there, Rose was ready to leave hugging both Sarah Jane and Luke, giving promises to visit again. Donna looked round to see they landed in the garden of some posh house.

"Where are we?" Donna asked.

"Haven't got a clue" Rose said looking up at the clear blue sky.

"I think we might be in the 1920s" Donna said smirking.

"Oh yeah? How did you come up with that one?" Rose asked walking forwards still looking up at the sky with a soft smile it was like she never saw a sunny day...actually she probably hadn't for yonks.

"Because you're about to be run over by a vintage car" Donna said.

"wha-" there was a honk and Rose leaped back in time to avoid being hit.

"Haven't you seen a sunny day before?" Donna asked laughing. "You're head was literally stuck in the clouds"

"Nah I was just enjoying the sun while it lasted, I think there's a party going on. Want to have some fun?"

"But we haven't been invited" Donna said.

Rose pulled out the psychic paper. "Now we have" she said with a sly smile. "Race you to the wardrobe room"

DWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDW

The two strolled along arm in arm, Donna in a brown flapper dress and Rose in a dark green one both grinning insanely. An old woman of roughly sixty was ordering the waiters around, one of them bowed to the young women.

"Good afternoon" he said. "May I get you a drink Ma'ams?"

"Sidecar please" Donna said putting on her best posh voice.

"And I'll have the same" Rose said smiling politely.

"May I announce Lady Clemency Eddison" the older butler said as a middle aged blonde woman strolled out in navy blue.

"Lady Eddison" Rose cried out holding her hand out which Lady Eddison took and shook firmly.

"Forgive me" she said politely "but who might you be? What are you doing here?"

"I'm Dame Rose Tyler of the Powell Estate" Rose said calmly. "And this is Miss Donna Noble of the Chiswick Nobles"

"Good afternoon milady" Donna said putting on a 1920 accent. "Topping day, spiffing. Top hole"

"No, no, no, don't do that" Rose murmured feeling rather embarrassed for her and Donna. She then flipped out the psychic paper. "We were thrilled to receive an invitation milady; we met at the ambassador reception"

"Dame Rose how could I forget you?" Lady Eddison said, leading them to the table with a true hostess smile. "Though one has to be sure with the Unicorn on the lose"

"A unicorn?" Rose asked gleefully. "Brilliant, where?"

"No The Unicorn, the jewel thief and no one knows who he is" Lady Eddison explained. "Just struck again and Lady Babington's pearls right from under her nose."

"Funny place to wear pearls" Donna muttered causing Rose to bite her lip to stop laughter from coming out. The waiter handed Rose and Donna their drinks and they both took a quick sip in unison.

"May I present the Colonel Hugh Currishly and the Honourable Roger Currishly" the butler said as a young man wheeled in an old man on a wheelchair.

"My husband" Lady Eddison giggled "and my son"

"Forgive me for not rising" the Colonel said "nerves haven't been the same since that flu epidemic in '18"

"My word" Roger said staring at Donna "you are a super lady"

"Oh" Donna said smiling coyly as she shook his hand. "Oh, I like the cut of you're jib…chin-chin."

"I'm Dame Rose how do you do?" Rose said politely shaking Roger's hand.

"Very well thank you" Roger said.

A young waiter came up to him. "your usual sir" he said.

"Ah thank you Davenport" Roger said taking the glass. "just how I like it"

"How come she's an Eddison but her husband is a Currishly?" Donna asked Rose quietly.

"The Eddison title is hers, one day that Roger guy will be a Lord" Rose murmured.

"Miss Robina Redmond."

Lady Eddison waved towards Robina and then turned back to Rose and Donna. "She's the absolute hit of the social season. A must, Miss Redmond."

"Reverend Arnold Golightly."

Lady Eddison and the Reverend began a conversation about a burglary in the church where apparently the Reverend had stopped them. Roger agreed whole-heartedly that the boys deserved 'a good thrashing' and the young waiter Davenport also agreed flirtatiously.

"Typical" Donna hissed. "all the good guys are on the other bus"

"Or idiots" Rose murmured thinking about the only good guys she ever had...Mickey, the Doctor, James, the human version of the Doctor...all four were proud idiots in their own way.

"Now my lady," Reverend Golightly said rather loudly obviously wanting to change the subject. "What about this special guest you promised us?"

Lady Eddison smiled at someone behind them all "Here she is, a lady who needs no introduction."

The small group turned round and all clapped as a tall blonde walked towards them.

"Oh, no" The blonde woman said looking modest "please don't. Thank you, Lady Eddison, honestly, there's no need." She walked up to Donna and Rose who wore smiles, pretending they knew who this woman was. "Agatha Christie." The woman held her hand out to Donna.

"What about her?" Donna asked.

"That's me" Agatha said smiling awkwardly.

"NO!" Donna said looking stunned.

"Agatha Christie!" Rose said shaking the woman's hand. "Oh I loved your stuff! Used to read it with my grandmother when I was a little girl! I'm Rose and this is Donna, oh what brilliant stuff you have written."

"Such an unusual child" Agatha said "though you won't be for much longer"

"What?" Rose asked nervously.

"You must be nearing the end of your teenage years, dear" Agatha said.

"Oh yes, yes of course" Rose blustered, for a moment she had a flashback of the beast, why she did not know but recently she had felt on edge.

Lady Eddison pulled Agatha Christie away and everyone began to discuss her husband and her work as Rose spied a newspaper and picked it up to check the date. Rose frowned, the Doctor being a big literate fan had told her everything she knew about Agatha Christie including her mysterious disappearance, she gestured to Donna who walked up to her.

"Today's date" she murmured.

"What about it?" Donna asked.

"It's the day Agatha Christie disappears" Rose said. "She just discovered that her husband was having an affair."

"You wouldn't think so, the way she's smiling away" Donna commented.

"Well she's British and has loads of money" Rose said "they ignore things, carry on. Except for this one time...she just vanished. Her car will be found tomorrow morning by the side of a lake and days later Agatha Christie turns up at a hotel in Harrogate. She lost her memory; she never spoke about her disappearance till the day she died but whatever it was..."

"It's about to happen" Donna realised.

"Right here and right now"

There was suddenly a scream and someone shouting murder on the top of their voice.

DWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDW

The three women and the butler ran in to find a body laying on the rug. "oh my goodness!" the butler choked out as Rose and Agatha fell onto their knees to examine the body.

"Blow to the head" Rose decided. "Blunt object" she fingered his watch which was broken. "Watch broke as he fell, he died quarter past four"

"Bit of pipe, call me Hercule Poirot, but I reckon that's blunt enough." Donna muttered.

Rose raised an eyebrow at her noticing from the corner of her eye that Agatha knelt down and picked something up from the fireplace. She ignored it for now, knowing that whatever she found would be important later.

"Nothing worth killing for in that lot, dry as dust." Rose said.

"The body in the library" Donna said to Rose. "I mean Professor Peach in the library with a lead pipe" Rose sniggered at the reference to Cluedo. Suddenly the other guests came bursting in and soon became hysterical.

"We should call the police" Agatha said.

"No need" Rose said pulling out her psychic paper. "Detective Rose Tyler and detective Donna Noble are on the job"

"Why I say" Lady Eddison muttered.

"Now I need you all to go out so I can examine the crime scene in peace" Rose ordered, Agatha herded everyone out and Rose knelt on the floor examining the fireplace and the floor surrounding it carefully.

"And why aren't we calling the real police?" Donna asked.

"Because I don't wan PC bloody Plod interfering" Rose snapped, she then gasped and held something up. "look what I found, morphine residue"

"Morphine?" Donna said incredulously. "Doesn't sound very 1926"

"That's because it's an alien genetic code" Rose murmured.

"The murderer is an alien" Donna said sounding even more incredulous.

"Yep one of the guests is an alien in human form" Rose said absently.

"Yeah but think of it, there's a murder, a mystery and Agatha Christie" Donna whispered rapidly.

"So? Happens to me all the time" Rose said holding the residue out for Donna to sniff who flinched away with a disgusted look.

"I know but Agatha Christie didn't go around surrounded by murders, not really. I mean that's like meeting Charles Dickens and he's surrounded by ghosts, at _Christmas"_

"Remind me to tell you that story" Rose said. "it was my first ever trip to the past"

"Oh come off of it!" Donna spluttered. "Next you're telling me we're going to drive across the country to meet Enid Blyton who's having tea with Noddy!" she paused. "could we? Noddy isn't real, tell me he isn't real!"

Rose stared at Donna in amusement. "I promise you that I never in my life have met Noddy and I am sure I'll never will but if I do, I'll tell you yeah?" she then strolled out, Donna following.

"Next thing you'll tell me that it's Murder on the Orient Express and they all did it" she said.

"Murder on the Orient Express?" Agatha asked coming out from a door.

"Yeah one of your bests" Donna said.

"But not yet" Rose hissed.

"Marvellous idea though" Agatha said slyly.

"Yeah tell you what, copyright Donna Noble" Donna said.

"Pardon?"

"Anyway" Rose butted in. "Agatha I'm going to question the suspects while Donna will search the rooms" she whispered to Donna "look for more residue, you'll need this" she pulled out a giant magnifying glass that the TARDIS has put in there.

"Are you for real?" Donna asked raising an eyebrow.

DWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDW

The Reverend was unpacking his luggage in his room, Roger was taking a stroll in the woods 'alone' (though Rose assumed that he was with Davenport the way Roger kept saying his was alone), Robina Redmond was in the bathroom preparing for the party, the Colonel was in his study (and got stuck in the flashback, Rose assumed those military memoirs were actually pornography) and Lady Eddison was in the blue room drinking tea.

"No alibis for any of them" Agatha said sighing as both she and Rose paced the room. "we got to look for the motive...look for the grey cells."

"Poirot" Rose said sitting in the chair sipping her tea. "you know I went to Belgium once...very muddy, then again I was in the woods"

"Rose for such an experienced detective you're missing something. A very big clue" Agatha said.

"What the little bit of paper you nicked from the fireplace?" Rose asked raising an eyebrow.

"But you had your back to me!"

"Yeah but I saw your reflection" Rose said shrugging.

Agatha smirked. "You crafty girl" she pulled out the paper. "This was all that was left" Rose put down her tea and ran over to Agatha's side.

"What's that first letter? M or N?"

"An M for maiden"

"But what does that mean?"

"No idea...our nemesis remains at large unless Miss Noble has found something"

"ROSE!"

"Something tells me she has" Rose said running out of the room, Agatha hot on her heels.

"ROSE!"

They ran up the stairs and down the corridor as they heard Donna let out a shrill scream. They found her by a door panting and looking terrified.

"There is a giant wasp" she said.

"What do you mean a giant wasp?" Rose asked.

"I mean there's a wasp that's GIANT!"

"It's only a silly little insect!" Agatha cried out looking amused.

"When I say giant, I don't mean big I mean flipping _enormous!" _Donna said looking annoyed. "Look at its sting" she said pointing at the giant stinger that stuck out through the door.

Rose ran in the room. "It's gone, buzzed off, vamoosed" she said peering out the broken window.

"But that's fascinating" Agatha said kneeling down to touch the giant stinger. Rose ran back.

"No touching, let me" she got out a test tube and tweezers and pulled out golden goo slowly before putting it in the tube. "Lots of morphemes nectar species out there but none in the galaxy"

"I understood enough of that to know you're completely potty!" Agatha snapped.

"Lost its stinger though" Donna commented. "That makes it defenceless"

"Creature this size? It can grow a new one"

"Can we please return to sanity?" Agatha asked. "There's no such thing as giant wasps!"

"So why is one here then?" Rose asked getting up and leaving the room.

DWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDW

The housekeeper was murdered, a stone gargoyle landed on top of her, her last words were 'the poor little child', they had turned in time to see the wasp flying away. They chased the wasp to a hallway and when Rose shouted for it to show itself everyone came out of the room. Rose considered it as cheating. No one knew what the dying words meant and everyone believed Agatha could help them, Agatha admitted she could do nothing to help and the only one that could was Rose who everyone immediately turned to look at. Great just great Rose thought sarcastically.

Agatha and Donna went out to have a chat and came back presenting a black leather case to Rose. Who started going through it.

"Oh someone came well packed haven't they?" Rose said thoughtfully. "This would be something a thief would use"

"The Unicorn, he's here!" Agatha exclaimed.

"The Unicorn...or someone else" Rose murmured as the door opened and the butler passed them their drinks.

"How about the science stuff?" Donna asked. "What did you find?"

Rose pulled out the test tube. "Hmm...yes. it's a Vespaform. Vespaforms are from the X Galaxy"

"Again you're talking like Edward Lear"Agatha said.

"But for some reason this Vespa is acting like one of your characters" Rose said taking a sip of her drink.

"Come on Agatha what would Miss Marple will do? She would have heard something vital now because everyone thinks she's a harmless old lady" Donna said.

"Clever idea! Miss Marple, who writes those?" Agatha asked.

"Erm...copyright Donna Noble, add it to the list" Donna said sheepishly.

"Donna..." Rose said.

"Ok we can split the copyright" Donna joked.

"No...something is inhibiting my enzymes" Rose groaned before letting out a shriek and sitting up quickly. "I've been poisoned!"

Donna and Agatha ran to Rose's side. "What do we do? What do we do?" Donna asked as Rose started to have what looked like a bit of a seizure.

Agatha examined the drink "it's Cyanide, sparkling Cyanide" she shouted. Rose got up and began to run. The other two women followed.

Rose staggered into the kitchen. "Ginger Beer!" she shouted to Davenport.

"I beg your pardon?"

"I need Ginger Beer!" Rose said throwing the contents of the shelve off and picking up the Ginger Beer bottle.

"That girl has gone mad!" the cook shouted.

"Rose that poison is completely toxic, there's no cure!" Agatha cried out looking distressed as Rose poured the Ginger beer over her head. Rose spat some Ginger beer out.

"Not for me! I can reverse it, I need protein, give me some protein!" she said panting as Donna ran off. Donna shoved a jar into Rose's hand and Rose poured the contains in her mouth, taking deep breaths. She then began to motion for something.

"I can't understand you!" Donna shouted. "How many words?" Rose held a finger up. "One, ok shake...shake...milkshake? no not milk, not milk...cocktail shake, what you want a Harvey Wallbanger?"

"Harvey Wallbanger?" Rose spat out looking incredulous.

"Well I don't know!"

"How is Harvey Wallbanger one word?"

"What do you need Rose?" Agatha shouted.

"Salt! I was miming salt, Jesus Christ!"

"How about this?" Donna asked holding a package up.

"What is it?" Rose asked.

"Salt!"

"Too salty"

"Oh it's too salty" Donna grumbled sarcastically.

"What about these?" Agatha asked, Rose nodded and snatched the jar and swallowed the contains.

"What are they?" Donna asked.

"Anchovies" Agatha said.

"what else?" Donna asked. "What else do you need?" Rose began to mime again. "it's a song? A Mammy? I don't know, Camptown Races?"

"Camptown Races?" Rose cried out looking disbelieving.

"Well how about Towering Inferno?" Donna asked.

"It's a shock, I need a shock!" Rose shouted. "Blimey woman how many charade games have you won?" Donna slapped her hard. "that's not a shock! That's just you! You almost slapped me several times on the day we me-"

Donna shut Rose up with a snog. Rose pulled back stumbling as grey and black gas poured out of her mouth.

"Right" she gasped wiping her mouth. "Detox, must do that more often, the detox not the snogging. I had enough companions trying that. Martha and Jack couldn't keep their hands off of me"

Donna raised an eyebrow in disbelieve.

"What are you?" Agatha asked looking shocked.

DWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDW

At dinner, everyone was seated around the table, dressed in their finest clothes while slowly eating the soup placed in front of them.

"A terrible day, for all of us…with the professor being struck down, the housekeeper cruelly taken away from us and yet we still dine like nothing happened." Rose said glaring at everyone.

"We are British Rose, what else must we do?" Lady Eddison asked.

"Then someone tried to poison me, any one of you had the chance to put cyanide in my drink…but it rather gave me an idea." Rose continued as if Lady Eddison never spoke.

"What would that be?" The Reverend asked.

"Well…poison" Rose said shrugging. "Drink up" She smiled sweetly. Everyone stopped eating and looked at her in shock, Donna spat out the soup she was eating. "I laced the soup with pepper" Rose continued and everyone sighed in relief.

"Ah, I though it was jolly spicy." The Colonel said.

"well you see pepper is traditionally used as insecticide. So anyone got the shivers?"

Suddenly the sound of thunder crashed through the room and the lights went out. One window's had opened, hustling the wind in, burning out the candles. A faint buzzing sound began to erupt in the room.

"What the deuce it that?"

"Shh…listen" Rose hissed, listening intently to the sound.

As the buzzing got louder, Lady Eddison rose from her seat whispering, "It can't be." On the opposite side of her Agatha Christie also rose from her seat.

"Show yourself, demon!" she shouted into the blackness of the room.

"Nobody move…stay where you are!" Rose yelled. The wasp came out of the darkness, Robina and Lady Eddison screamed, while Rose, Donna and Agatha ran out of the room with the butler beside them.

"Well at least we know that the butler didn't do it" Donna said.

"Then who did?" Rose asked pulling the sword from the wall and running back in. The lights flickered on and Roger was found dead and the crystal necklace of Lady Eddison's was missing.

DWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDW

"That poor footman, Roger's dead and he can't even mourn him…1920's…it's more like the dark ages." Donna grumbled as she took a seat beside Agatha.

"Did you enquire about the necklace?" Agatha asked.

"Lady Eddison brought it back from India, it's worth thousands."

"It can sting, it can fly, and it could wipe us all out in seconds…why is it playing this game." Rose asked darkly.

"Every murder is essentially the same; they are committed because somebody wants something." Agatha said thoughtfully.

"Yeah but what would a Vespaform want?" Rose asked.

"Rose stop it! Whatever it is it's human as you and I" Agatha snapped.

"You're right" Rose whispered. "I've been so caught up in giant wasps that I forgot that you're the expert!"

"Rose stop it! I'm just a writer and not a very good one!"

"No, no, no you don't just write detective stories, you're the best of the best. And why is that? Why are you so good Agatha? Because you understand, you lived; you had your heart broken. You know about people, their passions, their hopes and their anger. You know all of these things; you know what can make the most ordinary person into a killer. Just think Agatha, if anyone can solve this it's you!"

DWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDW

Everyone was crowded round the drawing room, on the sofas as Rose stood in the centre before the fireplace.

"I called you here on this endless night because we have a murderer here among us" Rose said quietly. "And when it comes to detection there is no one more finer...Ladies and Gentlemen I give you Agatha Christie" Rose took a seat by Donna as Agatha stepped forwards.

"This is a crooked house, a house of secrets, to understand the solution; we must examine them all…starting with you, Miss Redmond." Agatha said shooting a look at the young brunette woman, everyone turned to look at her.

But I'm innocent, surely." Miss Redmond said nervously playing with her necklace.

"But you never met these people" Agatha said calmly. "And these people never met you; I think the real Robina Redmond is still in London, you're impersonating her!"

"How silly" Miss Redmond said smiling. "What prove do you have?"

"Oh I know this" Donna butted in. "If she was really posh she would have said loo"

You said you'd been to the toilet. Earlier today, I found this on the lawn," Agatha said ignoring Donna and turning to pick up the black leather box. "Right beneath your bathroom window, you must have heard Miss Noble was searching the rooms and panicked. You ran upstairs and disposed of the evidence."

Miss Redmond placed her wine back down. "I never seen that thing before in my life" she said calmly.

"What's inside it?" Lady Eddison asked.

"The tools of your trade, Miss Redmond, or should I say _The Unicorn," _everyone gasped. "you came to this house with one intention - to steal the Firestone."

Miss Redmond got up. "Oh, all right fine, it's a fair cop. Yes, I'm the bleeding Unicorn. Ever so nice to meet, I don't think, I took my chance in the dark and nabbed it" she said losing her posh accent and gaining a rougher one. She pulled out the necklace from the strap of her dress and swung it around. "Go on then, you knobs, arrest me, sling me in jail."

She threw the necklace at Rose who caught it swiftly. "So is she the murderer?" Donna asked her mouth full of nuts.

"Don't be so thick, I might be a thief but I ain't a killer." Miss Redmond said leaning on the Colonel's chair.

"Quite and to find the darker motives we have to continue our investigation. And now we come to you...Colonel" Agatha said looking at the Colonel.

"Damnit woman!" the Colonel spat out. "you rumbled me!" he stood up.

"Hugh, you can walk" Lady Eddison gasped. "But why?"

"My darling, how else could I be certain to keep you by my side" the Colonel asked taking his wife's hand.

"I don't understand" Lady Eddison said shaking her head.

"You're still a beautiful woman Clemency" the Colonel said sighing. "Sooner or later a young chap would have turned your head, I couldn't bear that, staying in that chair was the only way I could be certain of keeping you. Confounded Mrs Christie how did you find the truth?"

"Erm actually I had no idea, I was going to say that you were completely innocent" Agatha said blinking.

"Oh"

"Sorry"

"Shall I sit back down then?"

"I think you better had"

Rose sniggered as Donna asked once again with her mouth full. "So he's not the murderer?"

"Indeed he's not" Agatha agreed. "To find the truth, let's return to this," Rose handed her the Firestone. "This far more than the Unicorn's object of desire, the Firestone has quite a history…Lady Eddison."

"I've done nothing." Lady Eddison whispered.

"You brought it back from India, did you not? Before you met the Colonel, you came home with Malaria, and confined yourself to the house for six moths, in a room that has been locked ever since, which I rather think means-"

"Stop! Please!" Lady Eddison interjected.

"I'm so sorry, but you had fallen pregnant in India, unmarried and ashamed, you hurried back to England with your confidante, young maid…later to be the housekeeper, Miss Chandrakala."

"Clemency is this true?" the Colonel asked.

"My poor baby." She began to sob, "I had to give him away, oh, the shame of it."

"But you've never said a word?"

"I had no choice, imagine the scandal, the family name, I'm British…I carry on."

"It was no ordinary pregnancy." Rose muttered.

"How can you know that?" Lady Eddison glared at her.

"Sorry, Agatha, my territory. When you heard that buzzing sound in the dining room, you said 'it can't be' why did you say that?" Rose asked Lady Eddison.

"You'd never believe it."

"Rose has opened my eyes to believe anything" Agatha said reassuringly.

Lady Eddison told them a tale, a tale of a man called Christopher who she fell in love with, who was not human, who showed her his true shape but it didn't matter to her because she loved him. But he had died in the flood but before he died he had given her the Firestone.

"Just like a man, he flashes his family jewels and you end up with a bun in the oven." Miss Redmond snorted.

"A 'poor little child', forty years ago, Miss Chandrakala took that newborn baby to an orphanage but Professor Peach worked it out, he found the birth certificate." Agatha said.

"Oh that's maiden, maiden name" Donna said.

"Precisely."

"So she killed him?" Donna asked.

"I did not!" Lady Eddison objected.

"Lady Eddison is innocent" Agatha said. "Because this point...Rose"

"Thank you!" Rose said getting up. "from all the lies and truths we have to consider...it was you Donna Noble" she said pointing at the redhead.

"What? Who did I kill?" Donna asked swallowing.

"No sweetie you had it right all along" Rose said trying her hardest not to laugh. "That this was being acted out like a murder mystery which means...it was you Agatha Christie!"

"I beg your pardon" Agatha snapped.

"So she killed them!"

"No Donna, she wrote, wrote those clever books and who is her greatest fan? Lady Eddison"

"Leave me alone" Lady Eddison whimpered.

"So she did kill them!"

"No Donna" Rose said sighing in frustration. "Just think, last Thursday night, what were you doing?"

"erm, I was in the library reading my favourite Agatha Christie"

"Now, Reverend, think, what happened Thursday?"

"I'm sorry?"

"You said on the lawn this afternoon, last Thursday, boys broke into the church."

"That's correct…they did." He shifted nervously "but I apprehended them."

"Really? A man of God against to strong lads, a man in his forties? Or should I say, forty years exactly." Rose smiled slightly. "Lady Eddison, you're child, how old would he be now?" Lady Eddison just looked at the Reverend, shocked. Rose walked closer to him. "You realized you're inheritance, after all these years, you knew who you were…what's that like?"

"Oh my god" Lady Eddison cried out.

"Last Thursday, you got angry very angry and you broke the genetic lock" Rose said before the reverend could deny it. "this" she picked up the Firestone. "Is a Vespaform telepathic recorder, it's part of you, part of your brain, part of your very essence. It beamed everything you know about yourself as a Vespa into your mind and at the same time the works of Agatha Christie"

"So he killed them?"

"Yeah," Rose said. "You finally got that one right"

"Well," the Reverend stood up, "This has certainly been a most entertaining evening, really, you can't believe any of this, surely, Lady Eddizzz…"

"Sorry didn't catch that Rev?" Rose said sarcastically.

"Lady Eddizzzon" the Reverend buzzed.

DWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDW

The Reverend turned into his true form and Agatha got him to follow her by snatching up the Firestone and running out of the house, she drove to the lake, Rose and Donna following and threw the Firestone in, the Vespaform followed, drowning. The Firestone connected to Agatha wiped out her memories of the day. Rose dropped Agatha off at the hotel finally solving the mystery of Agatha Christie.

"So all that time" Donna whispered. "It was us that took her"

"Yep" Rose said. "But some of the stuff leaked through. Say...Miss Marple"

"Ahhhhh" Donna said "I should have written up a contract and gotten my ten percent"

"Oh well you win some and you lose some" Rose said shrugging. "Now I believe I promised you a tale of Charles Dickens, ghosts and Christmas"

"Hold on a moment, I'll put the kettle on" Donna said walking back into the TARDIS, Rose following.


	24. Silence in the Library

"Books!" Rose said zipping up her leather jacket. "People never stop loving books"

"What even you?" Donna asked.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Rose asked as the pair walked out of the TARDIS.

"You always whinge when the TARDIS presents you a nice big textbook for your studies" Donna pointed out as she stared at the dark, dusty room looking unimpressed.

"Yeah but that's like homework, I mean stuff like Charles Dickens and Agatha Christie" Rose said leading Donna out of the dusty room and into a lighter, airier room where her voice echoed. "The Library, so big that it doesn't need a name."

"It's like a city" Donna said looking more impressed.

"It's a world, literally a whole planet" Rose said. "This place has the biggest hard drive in the whole universe. Every single book written in the universe can be found here." The walked to a balcony and peered over it. "We're near the equator so...I dunno biographies? I like biographies"

"Yeah very you, always a death at the end" Donna said.

"I like a good death. I hope I die a good death I don't want it to be some lame die in my sleep. Dying to save the world will do me" Rose said cheerfully. Donna picked up a book and was about to open it up for a read. "Oi!" Rose pulled it out of Donna's hands. "Spoilers"

"What?"

"These books are from your future. It's like peeking at the end, spoilers" Rose said throwing the book onto another pile.

"Isn't travelling with you just one big spoiler" Donna asked looking peeved.

"I try to keep you away from major plot developments" Rose muttered looking a bit sheepish. "Which I'll admit I must be bad at because you know what this is the biggest library in the universe. So where is everyone?"

They looked round seeing no one nor hearing anyone.

"It's silent" Rose whispered pulling out her sonic screwdriver and started to use it on some sort of futuristic computer.

"The library?" Donna asked walking up behind her.

"The planet. The whole planet"

"Maybe it's a Sunday"

"No they never close on Sundays, Sundays are boring" Rose said.

"Well maybe it's really, really quiet" Donna whispered sarcastically.

"Maybe but they should have showed up on the system" Rose said frowning.

"Rose why are we here?" Donna asked. "Really why?"

"Oh you know, just passing" Rose said shrugging.

"No seriously, it was all lets hit a beach and then suddenly we're in a library and you hate books that aren't fiction" Donna said building up her case. The computer beeped. "Why?"

"Well that's interesting" Rose murmured obviously ignoring Donna.

"What?"

"Scanning for life forms" Rose explained. "If I did a scan for the basic humanoids that want to read, you know like us. I get nothing but us. Just you and me." She pointed to the screen that had a big red 2 in the middle of a blue sphere. "But if I widened to scan to any form of life, like this" she typed in a code and the computer began to work quickly finishing up with the number 1, 000, 000, 000, 000 and began to blink error. "A million, million" Rose murmured.

"But there's no one here" Donna said. "There's no one"

"And no sound" Rose whispered. "A million, million life forms and silence in the library."

"But there's no one here" Donna cried out. "There are just books. I mean it's not the books is it? It can't be the books can it? I mean books can't be alive"

The two exchanged anxious glances at each other before staring at a book near them. They reached out to touch one and both jumped back gasping.

"That way?" Donna murmured pointing to the door they walked through.

"Yeah" Rose said her cheeks red with embarrassment as the two walked quickly back up the stairs.

DWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDW

They wandered back into the dusty dark room where white marble statue slowly rotated its head to reveal a smooth dark skinned human face.

"I am courtesy NODE 710/aqua. Please enjoy the Library and respect the personal access codes of your fellow readers regardless of species and hygiene taboo"

"That face looks real" Donna exclaimed looking shocked.

"Yeah don't worry about that" Rose said shrugging.

"A statue with a real face though" Donna said pointing at it. "It's a hologram isn't it?"

"Yeah just don't worry about it" Rose said.

"Additional information from the Head Librarian. For you're urgent attention. Message follows, run for God's sake run. No where is safe...the Library has sealed itself off, we can't – oh they're here. Message ends. Please turn of your mobile communes in respect of other readers." the NODE said in a monotone, robotic like voice.

"So that's why we're here" Rose murmured. "Any other additional messages with the same date stamp?" she asked louder.

"One more additional message, the message follows: count the shadows, for God sake if you want to live count the shadows. Message ends"

Rose looked round and shuddered. "Donna?"

"Yeah?"

"Stay out of the shadows"

"Why what's in the shadows?"

Rose didn't reply, she simply held her hand out for Donna and the pair took off slowly to a corridor surrounded by shelves filled with books.

"So" Donna said glaring. "We weren't just in the neighbourhood"

"Yeah, all right I lied" Rose said pulling out the psychic paper. "I got a message, last time that happened it was the Face of Boe so I had to check it out. What do you think?"

Donna took it and smirked. "Cry for help with a kiss?" she said in a mocking tone, pulling a kissy face.

Rose blushed. "Wouldn't be the first time" she muttered snatching the paper up while remembering a time some teenage telepathic aliens sent some rude messages to her.

"Who is it from?" Donna asked.

"No idea."

"So why did you come here, why did yo-"

"Donna" Rose interrupted looking down the corridor as the light bulbs started to go out.

"What's happening?"

"RUN!"

DWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDW

Donna kicked the door open and slammed it shut as Rose used a large hardback to barricade the door.

"You had experience with kicking doors open" Rose accused her. "Mum used to be able to open a barricaded door with a swift kick because she practised on my poor bedroom door, please tell me you don't practise on the TARDIS"

"Of course not!" Donna panted. "I'm not stupid!"

Rose turned round to see a bronze camera ball floating in the air, it reminded her too much of the Tolcafane but she still smiled politely at it. "Ah hello, my name is Rose Tyler. Do you mind if we hide out here for a bit?"

Suddenly it collapsed onto the floor.

"What is it?"

"Security camera" Rose said walking up to it, staring down in wonder. She kicked it and it didn't respond. "Switched itself off" she said picking it up and rolling it round in her hands. She then used the sonic screwdriver on it. "So you're going to tell me about your door skills, Donna?"

"Well with boyfriends you need the element of surprise" Donna said. "What was that? What was after us...did we just runaway from a power cut?"

"Possibly" Rose muttered.

"Are we safe here?" Donna asked.

"Course we are..." Rose murmured. "Got it!"

The bronze sphere opened up the camera and across the top of it in red electronic letters read: no stop it! Please stop it!

"Oh I'm sorry sweetheart" Rose said placing the sphere down. "It's alive"

"But you said it was a security camera!" Donna exclaimed.

"I did and it is" Rose said putting the sonic screwdriver away. "It's just an alive one"

The bronze sphere started showing more red letters: the Library has been breached, others are coming.

"What does it mean by others?" Donna asked. She strolled up to the NODE. "Excuse me what does it mean by others?"

"Donna, that's just a computer it can't help"

"Then why has it got a face?"

"This face was donated by Mark Chambers on the occasion of his death" the NODE said.

"It's a real face!" Donna shrieked.

"It had been actualised especially for you. It has been saved from our database of many facial characteristics. Pleas enjoy"

"It chose me a dead face it thought I would like" Donna said looking nauseated. "That statue has a real dead face on it!"

"It's the fifty first century....they do loads of strange stuff" Rose said.

"It donated a face" Donna backed away and Rose reached out and pulled her back. "Hands off Blondie!" Donna snarled slapping Rose's hands away.

"No look at the shadows Donna" Rose said.

"What about it?"

"Count the shadows"

"One, just there"

"Yeah...but what's casting it?"

A lamp started to slowly blink. "Power must be going out" Donna muttered.

"Can't be, the planet runs of fission cells…they'll out burn the sun." Rose said.

"Then why is it dark?" Donna asked keeping a hand firmly on Rose's arm.

"It's not dark"

"That shadow" Donna said letting go of Rose. "Is gone"

"We need to get back to the TARDIS" Rose said.

"Why?"

"Because that shadow isn't gone...it moved"

"Reminder" the NODE said. "The Library has been breached, others are coming. Reminder, the Library has been breached, others are coming."

There was a blinding flash of light as the doors opened and smoke floated through. Someone in an astronaut suit walked in slowly. Breathing loudly and more astronaut suited people followed in holding torches and large kits.

The leader took the dark tint of helmet off and smiled at Rose. "Hello sweetie" she said.

"Get out" Rose whispered.

"Rose" the woman whispered but Rose walked off.

"All of you get out, back into your rocket and fly away" she snapped. "Tell your grandchildren that you got out of the Library alive and they probably won't believe you."

"Take your helmets everyone, we got breathers" the woman shouted.

"How do we know they're not androids?" another female asked.

"Because I dated an android" the first woman said taking her helmet off and shaking her curly hair loose. "They're rubbish"

"Who is this?" a middle aged brown haired man asked. "You said we were the only expedition, I paid for exclusives"

"I lied" the woman said calmly. "They're always lying, there's bound to be other expeditionists"

"Miss Evangelista I want to see the contract" the man snapped to a young pretty woman.

"You came from the north pole yeah? How much damage?" the first woman asked Rose.

"Please just leave, I'm asking you nicely" Rose said. "It's not safe here...hang on did you say expedition?"

"My expedition" the first man said pompously. "I funded it"

Rose groaned. "Tell me you're not archaeologists"

"You got a problem with that...Blondie?" the first woman demanded, hands on her hips.

"I'm a time traveller. Archaeologists are too slow and always get in the way" Rose said.

"Ah, Professor River Song" the woman said holding hand out to Rose. "Archaeologist"

Rose shook it. "Lovely to meet you, lovely name but you have to go now. Tell everyone to avoid this place." She said pushing River Song away. "No one can ever come here. No living creature – stop right there!" she ran off and dragged a woman away from the shadows. "What's your name?"

"Anita" the woman answered looking bewildered.

"Anita, please stay out of the shadows. Don't even put a toe in there, got it?" Rose said looking rather stressed. "That goes for all of you. Find a nice bright spot and just stand." Everyone stared at her, River Song looked amused. "Right then, who are you?" she asked a man with a perm.

"Dave"

"Nice to meet you Dave"

"Well actually I'm the Other Dave, that's Proper Dave over there" he pointed to a brown haired man. "Because he joined the crew first. He's the pilot."

"Ok then Other Dave. The way you came in...Does it look the same as before?"

"Yeah...well actually it looks darker"

"How much darker?"

"Well I could see where we were going before now I can't"

"Right then seal off this door" Rose said turning the others. "I'll find you another way out"

"We're not looking for a way out" the man that funded the expedition snapped. "Muss Evangelista!"

Miss Evangelista walked up holding a contract. "I'm Mr Lux's personal everything. I need you to sign here to agree that all intellectual properties here belong to the Lux Cooperation"

"Right give it here" Rose said taking one and passing the other to Donna. The pair then ripped the contracts up together.

"My family built this Library, I have rights" Mr Lux snarled.

"You have a mouth that won't stop" River Song said rolling her eyes. "You think there's danger here?" she asked Rose.

"Something came in here and killed every living being in it" Rose said darkly. "Killed the whole world. Danger could be" she added sarcastically.

"That was a hundred years ago. Whatever did that is long gone dead" River Song said firmly.

"Ready to bet your life on that?" Rose asked.

"Always sweetie, always" River Song said winking.

DWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDW

Rose declared what was in the dark to be Vashta Nerada, microscopic carnivorous creatures that disguise themselves as shadows to hunt and latch onto their prey. However she had never heard of them to hunt in such large packs nor to be so aggressive. Both Rose and River Song ordered the archeologists to put up lights, to seal the doors up and to search the database. River Song also ordered Lux to keep his helmet on. River Song then pulled Rose away.

"Come along Blondie step into my office" she said. Rose began to follow the woman when Lux called out.

"Professor Song, why am I the only one wearing a helmet?"

"I don't fancy you" she replied grinning as she pulled Rose away from the others. She went through her bag looking for something. "Your bloke isn't here. Couldn't get off of his lazy arse to help? Or was it the slaps I gave him that put him off?"

"Bloke?" Rose asked feeling confused.

"Thanks anyway" she said pulling out a book and flipping through the pages.

"For what?" Rose asked.

"For coming, like you always do"

"Oh that was you?"

"You're also pretending that you don't know me. I assume there is a good reason. Ok then let's do diaries, always a pain if you ask me but I guess that's what I get for wanting to go on my own. Crash of the Byzantium, have we done that one yet?" Rose looked confused. "Obviously not ringing any bells, right then...erm...oh picnic at Asgard, with bloody Harkness" the look on her face suggested that she actually enjoyed Jack's company. "Have we done Asgard yet? Obviously not, blimey very early days then. Life on your own can be such hard work." She looked up and paused. "Look at you" she whispered awed. "Your hair and your eyes"

"What about them?" Rose asked.

"Your hair is completely blonde and your eyes are so young" she reached out and tucked a strand of Rose's hair behind her ear. "Sweetie please tell me this is just a dye job"

"This isn't a dye job" Rose said with a frown.

River Song pulled away. "Bugger" she mumbled. "I done it again"

DWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDW

Proper Dave couldn't get into the system and every time the words 'access denied' came up an alarm that sounded like a phone ringing would come. Rose managed to hack into find a little girl staring at them through the screen, she claimed that the Library was hers but it had never been on telly before. Before Rose could talk to the child's father the screen had turned off. Rose ran to another computer and as she worked on it her eyes kept flickering to the blue book River Song kept, she couldn't help but notice how much it reminded her of the TARDIS. She reached out and picked it up giving into the temptation only to have it snatched out of her hands by River Song.

"Sorry you're not allowed to see inside the book" she said. "It's against the rules"

"What rules?"

"Your rules" she said sadly, walking away.

Suddenly books were starting to throw themselves off of the shelves. "What's that?" Rose asked. "Proper Dave did you do that?"

"Not me! Proper Dave said.

Rose turned back to see CAL written on the op of the access denied. "What's CAL?" she asked. The books flew off faster before stopping completely. Rose watched Donna talk to Miss Evangelista for a while when the books started throwing themselves again.

"What is that?" River Song asked. "Is it the little girl?"

"But who is the little girl?" Rose asked. "What has she got to do with this place? How does this data call thing work? What is CAL?"

"Ask Mr Lux" River Song said.

Rose looked at the man. "What is CAL?"

"Sorry but you didn't sign your personal experience contracts" the man said snobbly.

Rose glared at the man. "Mr Lux right now you're in more danger than you have ever been in your whole life and you're protecting a patent?"

"I'm protecting my family's pride" the man said.

"Well funny enough Mr Lux I don't want to find anyone in this room dead because some idiot finds his pride more important" Rose snarled.

"Then why don't you sign his contract?" River Song asked "I didn't either but I never really change. I could say that's your fault but I've always been like that"

"Okay, so let's start from the beginning, what happened here…a hundred years ago, what physically happened?" Rose asked changing the subject.

"There was a message from the Library. Just one, the lights were going out. Then the computer sealed it off and nothing happened for a hundred years" River Song said calmly.

"It's taken three generations of my family just to decode the seals to get back in" Mr Lux continued.

"There is one other thing in the message" River Song said.

"That's confidential!" Mr Lux snapped.

"I trust this woman with my life. With my everything" River Song said gently.

"But you only just met her!" Mr Lux cried out.

"No she only just met me" River Song said she held out a small hand like computer to Rose. "This was the data extract from the message."

"4022 people saved no survivors" Rose read out. She frowned.

"4022 people was the exact number of people who was in the Library before it got sealed" River Song continued.

"But how can there be 4022 people saved if there were no survivors?" Donna asked.

"That's what we're here to find out" River Song said but from one look Rose knew that River Song knew something, River Song was hiding many things and it was probably all kept in that book.

"But what we haven't found is the bodies" Mr Lux said breaking into Rose's thoughts about River Song.

A scream could be heard and they turned to see Miss Evangelista missing. They ran to find her skeleton in a dark room; she began a ghosting and begged to speak to Donna who she called 'the nice woman'. The people that had teased her looked ashamed with themselves when she begged Donna not to tell the others because they'll only laugh.

DWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDW

"I'm going to need a packed lunch" Rose said.

"Hold on" River Song said getting onto her knees and going through her bag, she pulled out the blue TARDIS like book out.

"What's in that book?" Rose asked.

"Spoilers" River Song replied going through her bag.

"Who are you?" Rose asked.

"Professor River Song from the university of-"

"To me" Rose interrupted. "Who are you to me?"

River Song sighed. "Again, spoilers" she opened a tin box and held it to Rose. "Chicken on a bone and a bit of salad, knock yourself out"

Rose snatched up the box and got off of her knees. "Right everyone" she shouted. "Let's go and meet the Vashta Nerada"

DWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDW

River Song and Donna were watching Rose kneeling on the floor using the sonic screwdriver on the shadows.

"I know this is hard for you" River Song murmured. "How long has it been since you started travelling with her? Two months? A bit longer"

"Proper Dave shift a bit please" Rose said to the man who walked away towards the others as Rose continued sonicking the shadows.

"You know her" Donna said.

"I know you." River Song said. "You think this adventure is hard, that seeing poor Miss Evangelista like that. Try doing it twice"

"What you done this before?" Donna asked. "What are you trapped in some sort of loop?"

"I can't tell you Donna, spoilers and all that. I'm only telling you this because-" she cut herself off and looked away. "I sent the message too early and I sort of knew I did but I hoped an older version of her would come instead. I had hoped she'll change things. This is a version of Rose Tyler who doesn't know this me"

"What are you talking about?" Donna snapped. "Are you just talking rubbish? Do you know her and me or don't you?"

"Donna be quiet!" Rose shouted from under the table.

"Donna Noble" River Song said. "One day you'll understand. One day"

"All right I got alive one!" Rose said jumping up. She threw a chicken bone into the shadow and the meat immediately disappeared, she described the Vashta Nerada as piranhas in the air. As Rose explained the Vashta Nerada to Donna the shadows began to close in on them, they began to plot an escape plan when Rose spotted that Proper Dave had two shadows.

"I'm so sorry but it's how they hunt. To keep the food fresh" Rose said softly.

"What do I do?" Proper Dave asked looking tearful.

"Just stay still, like there's a wasp in the room"

"We're not going to leave you Dave" River Song promised.

"Of course we're not" Rose said calmly. "Dave where is your helmet? Don't move just tell me?"

"On the floor by my bag"

Anita went to get it. "Don't cross he's shadow" Rose warned her. "Everyone put your helmets on and seal them off." She said putting the helmet on Proper Dave.

"Rose we haven't got any helmets" Donna said.

"I know but we're safe"

"How?"

"We're not I just had to do something to reassure you" Rose said looking stressed and frustrated. "Professor any special protection on the suit?"

"Forget the suit it didn't help Miss Evangelista!" Mr Lux snapped.

"We can increase the mesh-density…dial it up to 400, make it a tougher meal."

"Ok then we dial it up to 800" Rose said using the sonic screwdriver on Proper Dave she then held it up to River Song. "Pass it on"

"Gotcha" River Song said holding up a copy of the sonic screwdriver.

"What?" Rose said looking rather shocked.

"It's a screwdriver" River Song said.

"It's sonic!"

"I know, snap!"

DWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDW

They couldn't save Proper Dave; the Vashta Nerada managed to get to him. Rose sent Donna to the TARDIS as she and the other archaeologists ran from the skeleton of Proper Dave that the Vashta Nerada was using to chase them. River Song used a sonic blaster to open up a door for them to use.

As they ran River took Rose's hand and for some strange reason it felt like Rose had held the woman's hand before. They ended up in an abandoned corridor and Rose was using the sonic screwdriver to turn the lights up more, River Song helped her making it go along quicker.

"You're sonic screwdriver" Rose murmured. "Looks a lot like mine"

"Yeah you gave it to me" River Song said.

"But I don't give them away" Rose said quietly. "Too much hassle to build another, especially since I keep burning myself"

"You get better at making them" River Song shrugged.

"Who are you?" Rose whispered.

"What's the plan?" River Song said evading the question.

"I sent Donna to the TARDIS-"

"But she's not there" River Song said interrupting Rose. "Don't ask how I know, spoilers."

Rose looked alarmed and ran to a NODE. "Donna Noble" she said. "Do you have a Donna Noble in the Library?"

The NODE turned round to reveal Donna's face. "Donna Noble has left the Library, Donna Noble has been saved."

"Donna" Rose whispered, feeling tears build up in her eyes.

"Donna Noble has left the Library, Donna Noble has been saved"

"I'm so sorry Rose" River Song said quietly. Rose reached out and cupped Donna's cheek.

"Donna Noble has left the Library, Donna Noble has been saved"

"Oh Donna" Rose whispered dropping her hand as a tear fell down her cheek.

"Hey who turned out the lights?" cam Proper Dave's voice.

"ROSE!"

"Donna Noble has left the Library, Donna Noble has been saved"

"Hey who turned out the lights?"

"Donna Noble has left the Library, Donna Noble has been saved"

"Hey who turned out the lights?"

"Rose we got to go" River Song said grabbing Rose's hand and pulling her away from the NODE.

"Hey who turned out the lights?"

"Donna Noble has left the Library, Donna Noble has been saved"

"Hey who turned out the lights?"

"Donna Noble has left the Library, Donna Noble has been saved"

"Hey who turned out the lights?"

"Donna Noble has left the Library, Donna Noble has been saved"


	25. Forest of the Dead

**Previously:**

"_Hey who turned out the lights?"_

"_Donna Noble has left the Library, Donna Noble has been saved"_

"_Hey who turned out the lights?"_

"_Donna Noble has left the Library, Donna Noble has been saved"_

"_Hey who turned out the lights?"_

"_Donna Noble has left the Library, Donna Noble has been saved"_

"Hey who turned out the lights?" Proper Dave's skeleton shouted as it slowly stepped closer to them. "Hey who turned out the lights?"

River looked around her before pulling out her sonic blaster and quickly made a hole in the wall beside them. "Everyone quickly move!" she shouted waving everyone through.

DWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDW

The leaped through another hole before it closed up and scanned their surroundings. Up above the sun was beginning to set and a moon could be easily made out in the sky.

"Ok we got a clear spot" River said "in, in, in! Right in the centre don't let your shadows cross" the others gathered in the middle. "Rose..."

"I'm on it" Rose called back as she began to scan the shadows with the sonic screwdriver.

"There's no light here" River said looking worried. "Sunset is coming and we haven't got long. Have you found a live one?"

"Maybe" Rose said biting her lip. "But it's getting harder to tell" she smacked the sonic screwdriver. "Come on" she growled.

"We're going to need another chicken bone" River announced. "Who here has a chicken bone?" Other Dave quickly pulled out his lunchbox and pulled a chicken bone out passing it to River. "Thanks Dave"

River carefully threw the chicken bone into the shadows and immediately the meat disappeared before the bone even hit the floor. "Ok then, we got a hot one watch your feet"

"They won't attack now, there are not enough of them" Rose said reassuring the archaeologists that looked terrified. "However they do have our scent now so we don't have long"

Other Dave pulled River away from Rose. "Who is she?" he whispered. "You haven't told us, you can't expect us to trust her."

"She's Rose" River said flatly.

"And who is this Rose?" Mr Lux demanded.

"The only story you'll tell if you survive this" River said getting annoyed.

"You said she was your friend but she doesn't know who you are!" Anita cried out.

"Look all you lot need to know is that I trust that woman" River snapped. "I trust her to the end of the universe, actually we've been there!"

"She doesn't act like she trusts you" Anita observed.

"Yeah the problem is she hasn't met this me yet" River murmured before storming off towards Rose who looked frustrated as she was fiddling with the sonic screwdriver. "What's wrong with it?" she asked.

"There's a signal coming from somewhere that's interfering" Rose mumbled.

"Then use the red setting" River said.

"It doesn't have a red setting"

"Well use the dampers"

"It doesn't have dampers"

"Ah I forgot how crappy this version was" River muttered pulling her sonic screwdriver out. "Mine does you see"

"So sometime in the future I build you a sonic screwdriver" Rose said frowning.

"Yeah"

"Why would I do that?" Rose asked.

"I didn't hold a gun to your head if that's what you're asking" River snarled.

"And I know that because...?"

"Listen to me I know you're upset and angry about Donna but you need to be less emotional right now!" River snapped.

"There's nothing wrong with being emotional!" Rose retorted.

"There are five people in this room that are you still alive!" River shouted. "Focus on that, dear god you were always hard work when you're young"

"Young!" Rose yelped. "Who are you?"

"Oh for heaven's sake!" Mr Lux cut in looking furious and annoyed. "Look at the pair of you! We're all going to die here and you two are squabbling like an old married couple!"

"I don't swing that way" both Rose and River said in unison.

"Rose" River said softly. "One day I'm going to be someone you trust completely without a single doubt but we can't wait for you. So I'm going to prove it to you" she leaned in and whispered into Rose's ear _"Bad Wolf and the Oncoming Storm forever. Captain Jack Harkness is the Face of Boe. Martha walked the Earth for a year. Your son's name is John; Donna Noble has let you inside her mind. Sarah Jane is your secure base" _

Rose stood there staring at the woman in disbelieve. "How do you know all of that?" she whispered.

"Are we good? Rose are we good?" River asked pleadingly.

"Yeah we're good" Rose whispered.

"Good" River walked off back to the group.

"Do you want to know what's interesting about my sonic screwdriver?" Rose said suddenly causing them to look back at her. "Very hard to interfere with, practically nothing is strong enough, well Donna's hairdryer but I swear to god the TARDIS has done something to that. So that means there must be a very strong signal coming, something that wasn't there before. Any ideas?"

The others looked at each other with blank expressions.

"Well come on what's change?" Rose asked. "What's different from before?"

"I dunno" Other Dave said shrugging. "It's getting dark"

Rose rolled her eyes. "It's a screwdriver it can work in the dark" she looked up at the sky and smiled. "Moonlight. Tell me about the moon, what's there?"

"It's not real" Mr Lux said "it was built as part of the Library. It's just a doctor moon"

"What's a doctor moon?" Rose asked.

"A virus checker. It supports and maintains the main computer at the core of the planet" Mr Lux explained.

Rose turned the sonic screwdriver on and held it up. "Well, it's still active, it's signalling, look. Someone somewhere is in this Library alive and is communicating with the moon or possibly alive and nicked Donna's hairdryer which means they haven't got long to live. Oh wait no the signal is definitely coming from the moon, I'm blocking it but it's trying to get through"

Suddenly before Rose stood a fuzzy blue washout image of Donna.

"Rose!" River shouted.

"Donna!" Rose called out.

Suddenly the image faded as quickly as it appeared.

"Rose that was Donna, we can get her back...what was that?" River asked.

"Hold on, hold on, hold on, I'm trying to find the wavelength" Rose said screwing her eyes on in concentration. "Damn it I'm being blocked!"

"Professor?" Anita said meekly looking terrified.

"Just a moment sweetie"

"But it's important...I have two shadows"

River paused and took a deep breath. "All right everyone helmets on. Anita I'll get you yours"

"It didn't do Proper Dave any good" Anita said sadly looking close to tears.

"Just keep it together, ok?" River said coming towards Anita with her helmet as Anita began to sob.

"Keeping it together, I'm only crying, I'm about to die, it's not an overreaction" Anita snarled as tears fell fast.

River smiled at her sadly as she put on the helmet. "Hold on" Rose said walking towards them and uses the sonic screwdriver to make the visor dark.

"Oh my god that got inside!" River gasped.

"No I just tinted her visor" Rose said reassuringly. "Maybe they'll think that they already have her and leave her alone."

"Do you think they could be fooled by that?" River asked sceptically.

"Maybe I don't know" Rose said shrugging. "It's a swarm not like I ever had a cup of tea with them, and had a good natter"

"Can you still see in there?" Other Dave asked Anita.

"Just about" Anita replied.

"Erm Professor Song can I have a word?" Rose asked nervously tugging River away.

"What?"

"Down here" Rose muttered pulling River down into a crouching position.

"What is it?"

"You said there was five people alive in this room"

"Yeah so?"

"So why is it that I can see six?"

Everyone turned to see another person in an astronaut suit standing in the background.

"Hey, who turned out the lights?"

"RUN!"

DWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDW

The group ran through a corridor connecting two buildings together, Rose suddenly stopped and glanced back.

"Professor go ahead and find somewhere to hide that's safe" she said.

"For God sake Blondie it's a carnivorous swarm in a suit you can't reason with it!" River exploded.

"I got to try" Rose said. "The-"

"Doctor would have wanted you to try, I know, I know" River said rolling her eyes.

"Five minutes, please" Rose said pleadingly.

"Other Dave stay with her and pull her out when she's having a dumb blonde moment. You have two minutes Rose Marion Tyler before I'll track you down myself" River said sighing and glaring at Rose before her, Mr Lux and Anita ran off down the corridor.

"Hey who turned out the lights?"

Rose took a step forwards to the skeleton "you hear those words?" she said quietly. "Those words were the last words of the man that wore that suit before you climbed inside it and stripped off his flesh. That is a man's soul trapped inside a neural relay, going round and round forever. Now, if you don't have the decency to let him go how about you use it to talk to me. It's easy just point and think, use him to talk to me"

"Hey, who turned out the lights?"

"The Vashta Nerada live on all the worlds in this system but you hunt in forests. What are you doing in a library?"

"Rose we should go!" Other Dave said pleadingly.

"In a minute. You came to the Library to hunt, why? Just tell me why"

"We...did...not" the skeleton grated out.

"Oh hello" Rose said beaming.

"We did not"

"Take it easy, you'll get the hang of it. What did you not do?"

"We...did not...come here" the Vashta Nerada said.

"But you did!" Rose exclaimed.

"We come from here"

"From here?" Rose repeated looking puzzled.

"We hatched here"

"But your kind hatch in trees, from spores in trees"

"These are our forests"

"But look around you you're not in a forest!"

"These are our forests"

"But you're not in a forest, you're in..." Rose inhaled sharply in realisation. "A library..."

"We should go Rose" Other Dave said panicking more.

"Books. You came in the books, million, million books..."

"We should go Rose" Other Dave said.

"Oh but look Dave" Rose said looking out to the shelves. "The forests of the Vashta Nerada, pulped, printed and bound. A million, million books hatching shadows"

"We should go Rose"

Rose turned to face Other Dave with a frown on her face, her face softened when she saw the neural relay blinking. "Oh Dave, I'm so sorry" she whispered.

The two skeletons walked closer to Rose cornering her.

"Hey who turned out the lights?"

"We should go Rose"

"Thing about me is, I'm stupid, a complete and utter blonde. Babbling constantly must have got that from the Doctor, but the reason I'm still alive is...well I always stay by a door" she pointed the sonic screwdriver down at the trap door and fell through.

DWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDW

"You know when you see a photograph of someone you know, but it's from years before you knew them? It's like they're not quite... finished, they're not done yet. Well... yes, Rose is here. She came when I called, just like she always does. But not _my_ Rose. Now my Rose... I've seen whole armies turn and run away. And she'd just swagger off back to her TARDIS and open the doors with a snap of her fingers. Rose... in the TARDIS... next stop: everywhere" River said with a far away look on her face.

Rose stepped into the room with a frown on her face. "Spoilers!" she snapped out. "Nobody can open the TARDIS by snapping their fingers, she considers it too rude!"

"She does for Rose" River shot back.

"I am Rose!"

"You are a child compared to her!"

Rose turned round ignoring her "how are you?" she asked Anita softly.

"Where's Other Dave?" River demanded.

"Not coming, I'm sorry" Rose replied.

"Well if they've taken him then why haven't they taken me?" Anita asked.

"I don't know" Rose looked down and saw that Anita still had two shadows. "Maybe the tint is the difference"

"It's making a difference all right. No one will ever see my face again" Anita said bitterly.

"Can I get you anything?" Rose asked.

"An old age would be nice. Anything you can do?" Anita asked in a joking voice.

"I'll try" Rose promised.

"Rose...when we first met you, you didn't trust Professor Song. And then she whispered words in your ear and you did. My life so far...I could do with words like that. What did she say?" she paused for a moment. "Give a dead girl a break, your secrets are safe with me"

"Safe" Rose whispered, her eyes widening in realisation.

"What?" Anita asked.

"Safe. You don't say saved, nobody says saved you say safe. The data fragment what did it say?" Rose said.

"4022 people saved no survivors" Mr Lux said slowly.

"Rose?" River asked.

"Nobody says saved, only nutters say saved, you say safe. But you see it didn't mean safe it literally meant...saved!"

DWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDW

Rose was working on one of the computers. "See here it is. Hundred years ago there was massive power surge, all the teleports going at once. Soon as the Vashta Nerada hit their hatching cycle someone hit the alarm and the computer tried to teleport everyone out"

"It tried to teleport 4022 people" River said in disbelieve.

"It succeeded. Pulled them all out but then what happens? No where is safe. 4022 people stuck in a system like emails, so what does the computer do? "

"It saved them" River breathed.

"The Library, a whole world of books, and right at the core, the biggest hard drive in history. The index to everything ever written, backup copies of every single book. The computer saved 4022 people in the only way a computer can. It saved them to the hard drive" Rose continued.

Suddenly an alarm echoed through.

"What is it?" Mr Lux asked panicked. "What's wrong?"

"Autodestruct enabled, twenty minutes" a computerised voice said.

"What's maximum erasure?" River asked reading over Rose's shoulder.

"Twenty minutes" Rose said quietly. "Then this planet is going to crack like an egg"

"No! No! It's all right doctor moon will stop it! It's programmed to protect CAL" Mr Lux shouted looking worried and terrified.

Suddenly the screen went blank.

"NO!" Rose shouted.

"All Library systems are offline" the computerised voice said. "Sorry for any inconvenience. Shortly..."

"We need to stop this, we got to save CAL!" Mr Lux shouted.

"What is CAL?" Rose asked.

"We need to get to the main computer and then I'll show you" Mr Lux said. At that moment Rose saw not the arrogant man that wanted someone to sign a bloody contract but a man who was concerned for something that might be living.

"But that's at the core of the planet; how the hell will we get there in time?" Rose shrieked.

"Well then we best get moving" River said in a no nonsense voice. She pulled out her sonic screwdriver and pointed it at the floor at a symbol, it opens up. "Gravity platform"

"I bet I like you" Rose said admiringly.

"Oh trust me you do" River said with a cheeky grin.

DWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDW

They found the main computer and Rose began to rapidly work but it wouldn't leave sleep mode. Soon everyone heard a child's voice...a little girl begging.

"Help me, please help me"

"What was that?" Anita asked.

"Was that a child?" River asked.

"The computer is in sleep mode. I'm trying to wake it up, I am!" Rose said through gritted teeth as she fiddled with some keys.

"Rose these readings" River said.

"I know, it's like its dreaming"

"It is dreaming" Mr Lux said quietly. "Of a normal life with a lovely dad and of every book ever written"

"Computers don't dream!" Anita snapped.

"No but little girls do" Mr Lux went to a door and pushed down a lever to open it. The others followed quickly and gasped and what they saw.

"Please help me, please help me" said the little girl's face on a NODE.

"Oh my god!" River shouted.

"It's the little girl, the little girl we saw in the computer" Anita whispered.

"She's not in the computer. In a way, she is the computer. The main command NODE. This is CAL." Mr Lux said calmly.

"Why didn't you tell me?" Rose asked. "I needed to know this to be able to help"

"Because she's family! CAL... Charlotte Abigail Lux. My grandfather's youngest daughter. She was dying, so he built her a library, and put her living mind inside, with a moon to watch over her, and all of human history to pass the time, any era to live in, and any book to read. She loved books more than anything. He gave her them all. He asked only that she be left in peace. A secret, not a freak show."

"You weren't protecting a patent, you were protecting her" Rose said admiringly.

"It's only half a life of course but it's forever" Mr Lux said.

"And then the shadows came" Rose whispered.

"Shadows. I have to... I have to save. Have to save..." Cal whimpered.

"And she saved them. She saved everyone in the Library, folded them into her dreams and kept them safe." Rose said smiling

"Then why didn't she tell us?" Anita asked.

"Because she's forgotten. She's got over 4,000 living minds chatting away inside her head" Rose explained.

"So what do we do?" River asked.

"Easy! We beam all the people out of the data core, the computer will reset and stop the countdown. Difficult, Charlotte doesn't have enough memory space left to make the transfer. Easy! I'll hook myself up to the computer and she can borrow my memory space!" Rose babbled.

"Difficult! It'll kill you stone dead!" River shrieked.

"Yeah, it's easy to criticise" Rose shrugged.

"It'll burn out both your hearts and don't think you'll regenerate!" River argued.

"I'll try my hardest not to die. Honestly, it's my main thing." Rose said reassuringly.

"ROSE!"

"I'm right and this works! Shut up. Now listen, you and Luxy-boy, back up to the main Library. Prime any data cells you can find for maximum download, and before you say anything else, Professor, can I just mention in passing as your air, shut up!"

"Ha! I hate you sometimes!"

"But you love me any other time"

"Mr Lux, with me! Anita, if she dies, I'll kill her!" River snapped storming past Rose.

"Bit of a waste of a resurrection" Rose muttered under her breath.

DWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDW

Rose began to work quickly when Anita kept questioning her. From one glance she knew that Anita was dead and she wanted to kill every last Vashta Nerada for that, instead she negotiated with them to give her one day to get everyone out. Just as River came in Anita's body collapsed.

"ANITA!"

"I'm so sorry River but she was long gone" Rose said softly as she continued to work. "I thought I told you to go!"

"Yes but you need me more than Mr Lux" River said she walked up to Rose and suddenly knocked her out from the behind.

DWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDW

Rose woke up to find herself handcuffed to a pillar, River was sitting in a chair fiddling with the wires and picking up a silver metal headdress thing .

"NO!" Rose shouted. "Don't do that, that's my job!"

"Oh and I'm not allowed a career. Think again Blondie" River snapped.

"Why am I handcuffed? Why do you even have handcuffs?" Rose asked yanking her wrist.

"Spoilers" River said winking.

"This is not a joke, stop this now, this is gonna kill you! I'd have a chance, you don't have any." Rose snarled.

"You wouldn't have a chance, and neither do I. I'm timing it for the end of the countdown, there'll be a blip in the command flow. That way it should improve our chances of a clean download" River snapped back.

"River please don't do this!" Rose begged.

"The thing is Rose, I knew this day was coming, do you know I'm right here in the Library at a much younger age? We were children practically Rose when we met but then so much had happened and oh how we grew. We both knew this day was coming, I was just hoping you would have figured something out to save me...guess not"

"Autodestruct in one minute" the computerised voice said.

"You can't do this!" Rose said a tear falling down her cheek.

"You were so right Rose" River breathed. "This life was so much better with three and no I am not talking threesomes with you. Not my style. But the company was good, the friendship, the sibling love...I miss you two"

"Autodestruct in ten..."

"The things you whispered in my ear" Rose said trying not to cry. "The only people that would know...the only person I would tell everything..."

"...nine, eight, seven..."

"Shh...Spoilers" River said trying her hardest not to cry. "You never could keep me away from the major plot line could you?" she smiled tenderly down at Rose.

"...three, two, one..."

"But how?" Rose shouted.

River didn't reply, she pulled the two plugs together and vanished in a blinding white flash.

DWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDW

Rose leaned against a pillar, her arms wrapped round herself as if to keep herself safe from all the hurt and pain. Donna stepped to her side and leaned against the pillar with her.

"Any luck?" Rose asked.

"There wasn't even anyone called Lee in the Library that day. Suppose he could have had a different name out here, but let's be honest, he wasn't real, was he?" Donna said sighing.

"Maybe not" Rose said quietly.

"I made up the perfect man. Gorgeous, adores me, and hardly able to speak a word. What's that say about me?"

"Everything." Donna turned round and slapped Rose in the arm. "Ow! I meant nothing, nothing at all, everything just sort of slipped out"

"What about you? Are you all right?" Donna asked looking concerned.

"I'm always all right." Rose lied causing Donna to snort.

"Is 'all right' special Time Lady Code for... 'Really not all right at all'?"

"Why?"

"Cos I'm 'all right', too."

Rose smiled sadly at Donna and took her hand. "Lets get out of here" she mumbled pulling the redhead away. They passed a table and Rose placed the journal down on it with the sonic screwdriver on top.

"River said...she said that she's lived through this twice" Donna said slowly. "We could always peek and see why"

"Spoilers Donna, you don't want it spoiled" Rose admonished Donna. "Come on we have the next chapter to go through, it's over there" she pointed through the doors where the TARDIS was. She paused and went back to the sonic screwdriver. "Why? Why would I give her my screwdriver? Why would I do that? Thing is, future me had years to think about it, all those years to think of a way to save her, and what she did was give her a screwdriver! Why would I do that?" Rose pulled off the top to reveal a neural relay. "Oh! Oh! Oh, look at that! I'm very good!"

"What have you done?" Donna asked.

"I saved her!" Rose shouted running back to the main computer, back to CAL.

DWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDW

The sound of the TARDIS engines could be heard, CAL blinked as she watched the blue box materialise. The door opened and two men and a woman stepped out. They quickly and silently worked on her. She giggled at the men's curse words and the woman who was lecturing them for swearing in front of a child. CAL blushed when one of the men winked at her who caused the other man and the woman to shout at him.

Suddenly she felt one of the people she saved be pulled out of her and there standing in front of her looking shocked and annoyed was the nice Professor River Song.

"I was in the middle of bedtime story!" she snapped.

"Oh come of it, they're not your real kids" the new woman scoffed.

"Watch it Blondie!"

"Welcome back to the land of the living gorgeous" one of the men said winking.

"Stuff it Harkness" River snarled. "I thought you said better with three? Why is he here?"

"Because deep down you love me" Harkness said wrapping an arm round River's waist. "God I missed you" he bent down and placed a kiss on her lips.

"Always the charmer Captain" the other man muttered.

"I was born that way" Harkness said. "Unlike you who seems to irritate people wherever you go Doc"

"I thought I told you not to call me Doc!" the man shouted as the four of them went back into the TARDIS.

Cal watched the box disappeared and giggled to herself. "And they lived happily ever after...for now" she murmured to herself.


	26. Midnight

"See the thing is Blondie when you go on holiday you are supposed to relax and be lazy" Donna said loudly as Rose pulled her down a sterilised corridor. "You are supposed to be lying back by the pool getting a tan while sipping cocktails and then have a fabulous night out and sleep in the mornings"

"And you do touristy things" Rose added. "And this is what tourists do!"

"You're a tourist everyday of your life!" Donna argued. "You're not relaxing! You're not even wearing holiday clothes like I am!" Rose turned round to look at Donna's clothes, true enough Donna normally never wears ankle length gypsy skirts with cardigans and usually a lot more than shampoo and conditioner is used on Donna's hair.

While Rose looked exactly like she does any other day. "Sapphire waterfall – a waterfall made of sapphires! There's this enormous jewel, size of a glacier, reaches the cliff of Oblivion and then shatters into sapphires at the edge – they fall 100,000 feet into a crystal ravine"

"You sound like a tourist leaflet" Donna groused. "It's fours there and fours back, it's going to be like a school trip!"

"We'll be back in time for dinner" Rose said rolling her eyes. "We can go to that anti-gravity place you been going on about...though we're going to need bibs"

"All right, all right" Donna said "but if something happens and we have to save the world again I'll be furious"

"Donna!" Rose laughed. "Taking a big space truck with a bunch of strangers across a diamond planet called Midnight, what can possibly go wrong?"

"Well knowing our luck one of the strangers is a melodramatic alien villain that wants to use the sapphires to take over the universe" Donna muttered under her breath.

DWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDW

Donna and Rose sat down comfortably in two chairs in the front watching as the other passengers boarded the shuttle. A hostess was giving out complimentary gifts to the passengers.

"Complimentary juice pack and complimentary-"

"Just the headphones, please." The middle aged blonde woman in a suit said politely.

"There you go." The Hostess said handing out the headphones before turning to Donna and Rose and passing them little packages. "That's the headphones for Channels 1 to 36; modem link for 3D vidgames; complimentary earplugs; complimentary slippers; complimentary juice pack; and complimentary peanuts. I must warn you some products may contain nuts."

"That'll be the peanuts" Donna muttered.

"Enjoy your trip." The Hostess said chirpily.

"Oh I can't wait allonsy as the Doctor always says" Rose said cheerfully. Donna smiled at Rose, glad to finally hear the Doctor being mentioned in a lighter light.

"I'm sorry?" the Hostess said blinking.

"It's French, for let's go! I looked it up" Rose explained still grinning.

"Fascinating." The Hostess said sincerely before walking off.

"That woman is far too perky" Donna hissed.

"She seemed nice" Rose shrugged.

"Too perky, too perky to be human. I bet she's an android" Donna muttered Rose snorted with laughter and after a moment the pair began to laugh their heads off in sheer amusement.

"And the pills?" an old man's voice cut in through their laughter.

"Yes, all measured out for you, there you go." Came a younger female voice.

Rose turned to see a man in his sixties and a young dark skinned woman with glasses on sitting behind her.

"Hobbes! Professor Winfold Hobbes!" Professor Hobbes said holding his hand out to Rose.

"I'm Rose Tyler, hello" Rose said grinning shaking the man's hand. "And this is my friend Donna Noble"

Professor Hobbes shook Donna's hand as well. "This is my fourteenth time, you?"

"My first" Rose said "I can't wait!"

"And I'm Dee Dee, Dee Dee Blasco." Dee Dee said shaking Rose's hand.

"Now don't bother the nice woman!" Professor Hobbes admonished Dee Dee. "Where's my water bottle?"

The Hostess strolled back down to the front and turned to face them with a cheerful smile on her face. "Ladies and gentlemen and variations thereupon, welcome on board the Crusader 50, if you would fasten your seatbelts, we'll be leaving any moment. Doors!" the doors automatically closed by themselves. "Shields down!" large shields closed down on the windows blocking the view. "I'm afraid the view is shielded until we reach the Waterfall Palace." The Hostess said apologetically. "Also, a reminder, Midnight has no air, so please don't touch the exterior door seals. Fire exit at the rear, and should we need to use it... you first." She let out a laugh before continuing. "Now I will hand you over to Driver Joe."

"Driver Joe at the wheel! There's been a diamond fall at the Winter Witch Canyon, so we'll be taking a slight detour, as you'll see on the map" Driver Joes said over the intercom as a map showed up on the screen. "The journey covers 500 kliks to the Multifaceted Coast; duration is estimated at four hours. Thank you for travelling with us, and as they used to say in the olden days, wagons roll!"

The engines started and the shuttle moved backwards slightly, throwing Donna and Rose back into their seats. The pair high fived each other despite the fact that Donna refused to admit to herself that this was going to be fun.

"For your entertainment, we have the Music Channel playing retrovids of Earth Classics" the Hostess said pressing a button on her remote and bringing up ___Raffaello Cara singing 'Do it Do It Again' "_Also, the latest artistic installation from Ludovico Klein" she pressed another button on her remote and brought up a hologram. "Plus, for the youngsters, a rare treat - the Animation Archives" the Hostess pressed another button and a screen filled with old cartoons started going. "Four hours of fun time! Enjoy!"

Donna groaned and rubbed her temples, she could feel a headache coming on and she really fancied the idea of strangling the Hostess. Rose noticing her distress and the distress of the other passengers (minus a married couple) pulled out her sonic screwdriver and turned it all off.

"Well, that's a mercy!" Professor Hobbes exclaimed.

"Hear, hear" Donna muttered.

"I do apologise, ladies and gentlemen and variations thereupon. We seem to had a failure of the Entertainment System..." the Hostess said looking confused.

"Oh dear, what a shame" Donna said sarcastically.

"But what do we do?!" a woman asked.

"We've got four hours of this! Four hours of just... sitting here?" her husband said looking annoyed.

"Tell you what! We'll have to talk to each other instead!" Rose said cheerfully grinning down at the other passengers who looked like they rather jump of a cliff than talk to each other.

DWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDW

The married couple was called Val and Biff who were telling a story while their son Jethro looked embarrassed and the blonde woman called Sky was sitting away reading a book.

"So Biff said, 'I'm going swimming'." Val started.

"Oh, I was all ready, trunks and everything! Nose plug!" Biff said hurriedly.

"He had this little nose plug, you should've seen him." Val said rolling her eyes.

"And I went marching up to the lifeguard, and he was a Shamboni, you know, those big foreheads?"

"Great big forehead!" Val added.

"And I said, where's the pool? And he said..." Biff paused taking a sip of his drink.

"The pool is abstract!" Biff and Val said in unison wrapping their arms round each other.

"It wasn't a real pool!" Val cried out.

"It was a concept!" Biff said.

"And you wore a nose plug!" Rose asked.

"I was like this!" he pinched his nose "Mmm...Where's the pool?"

"Fascinating" Donna said dryly while Rose chuckled.

DWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDW

Rose and Donna were now standing to one side talking to Dee Dee. "I'm just a second-year student, but I wrote a paper on the Lost Moon of Poosh, Professor Hobbes read it, liked it, and took me on as a researcher. Just for the holidays. Well, I say researcher, most of the time he's got me fetching and carrying. But it's all good experience!" Dee Dee babbled excitedly reminding Rose of the Doctor in a way.

"Men!" Donna snorted.

"Oh well I'm sure he'll see your brilliance soon" Rose said reassuringly. "Did they ever find it?" she asked.

"Find what?" Dee Dee asked.

"The Lost Moon of Poosh!" Rose said.

"Oh no! Not yet!" Dee Dee said laughingly.

"Well, maybe that'll be your great discovery, one day. Here's to Poosh!" Rose said lifting her cup up.

"Poosh!" Donna and Dee Dee said together clinking their cups against Rose's.

DWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDW

Donna was sitting down eating dinner with Jethro while Rose was sitting with Sky.

"Nah just me and Donna but we're not like that, more like sisters really" Rose said. "You?"

"No, it's just me" Sky said sadly.

"Oh, I've done plenty of that. Travelling on my own. I hated it, but at least I got to choose where to go." Rose said understandingly.

"No, I'm still getting used to it. I've... found myself single rather recently, not by choice." Sky said bitterly.

"What happened?"

"Oh, the usual. She needed her own space, as they say. A different galaxy, in fact. I reckon that's enough space, don't you?" Sky said raising an eyebrow.

"Yeah... I had a friend who went to a different universe" Rose said sadly.

Sky held up her fork and examined what was on it carefully while tactfully changing the subject. "Oh, what's this, chicken or beef?"

"I think it's both." Rose said scrunching her nose up.

DWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDW

They were now crowding round Professor Hobbes who was showing some slides. Donna had fallen asleep on Rose's shoulder and was snoring softly.

"So, this is Midnight, d'you see? Bombarded by the sun! Xtonic rays, raw galvanic radiation. Dee Dee, next slide!" Dee Dee swapped the slides quickly. "It's my pet project. Actually, I'm the first person to research this. Because you see... the history is fascinating, because there is no history. There's no life in this entire system, there couldn't be. Before the Leisure Palace Company moved in, no-one had come here in all eternity. No living thing"

"But how d'you know? I mean, if no-one can go outside..." Jethro interrupted.

"Oh, his imagination! Here we go!" Val said sighing.

"He's got a point, though." Rose said.

"Exactly! We look upon this world through glass. Safe inside our metal box. Even the Leisure Palace was lowered down from orbit. And here we are now, crossing Midnight, but never touching it." Professor Hobbes said.

There was some rattling before the engines suddenly turned off. Donna sat up awake looking lost.

"What happened?" she asked.

We've stopped. Have we stopped?" Val asked excitedly.

Are we there?" Biff asked.

We can't be it's too soon." Dee Dee said looking confused.

They don't stop, Crusader vehicles never stop." Professor Hobbes said shaking his head.

If you could just... return to your seats, it's... just a small delay." The Hostess said worriedly as she walked to the intercom.

DWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDW

"_Be very, very careful" the Doctor said warningly to Jake and Mickey. "The voltage in this is high enough to kill you"_

"_Don't worry we'll take care" Mickey said reassuringly as he stepped away from the glass window of the room the dimension cannon that was hooked to a load of wires which lead to a computer and webcam was in. The Doctor was aiming to send a video message to wherever Rose was and since she could be at the farthest corner of the universe as far as they knew the dimension cannon had a lot of work done to it/ _

"_And remember this area is a wee bit radioactive" the Doctor added "so take the de-radiation pills the moment we get out of here"_

"_Aye, aye Captain" Jake said mockingly as he saluted the Doctor. _

"_No don't do that" the Doctor said shaking his head. _

_Before Jake or Mickey came up with a witty retort the dimension cannon exploded again without warning and the glass shattered the Doctor tackled Mickey to the ground in time but a large glass shard struck Jake in the throat. _

"_NO!" _

_Mickey and the Doctor scramble to Jake's side and Mickey pulls Jake into his arms. _

"_Doctor do something!" he said pleadingly. _

_The Doctor quickly checked Jake's pulse. "I'm sorry, I'm so, so sorry. He's gone Mickey, he's gone"_

_Behind the Doctor Mickey could see the dimension cannon working and flickers of people shouting and panicking, he could almost make out Rose's voice in the shouting. "Don't let Jake's death go in vain. Send that bloody message to Rose" he said nodding to the screen. _

_The Doctor ran to the screen and threw himself against the desk. "ROSE!" he shouted just before the screen turned off again. The Doctor stood there motionlessly._

_Jake was dead._

_They were still no close to sending a message across to Rose._

_Jake was dead._

_Jake died in vain._

DWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDW

The drivers were dead. Something had torn off the cabin that they were in and they were now gone. That same something kept banging on the roof and it followed Sky who was absolutely terrified. The sound suddenly stopped but Sky was also no longer making a sound.

A mad hysteria followed, something was possessing Sky making her copy whatever it was that someone was saying. Val and Biff got terrified while Jethro found it amusing and got Sky to say things like 666 causing Donna to give him a smack in the back of the head. Soon enough Sky was no longer repeating but saying everything that everyone spoke at the exact same time.

Everyone but Donna and Rose thought they should throw her out and get rid of her, when they found out that Rose was no longer human they went even more berserk and then suddenly Sky was no longer saying everything in time with everyone...just with Rose.

"Sky what are you doing, Sky?" Rose and Sky asked.

"She's still doing her!" Dee Dee exclaimed.

"Rose it's you, she's only copying you!" Professor Hobbes said in wonder.

"Why me? Why are you doing this?" Rose and Sky asked.

"Rose what's happening?" Donna asked looking worried.

"She won't leave her alone" Dee Dee observed.

"Do you see? I said so, they're together in this!" Val spat out.

"Oi Mrs Dunce, shut it!" Donna snarled.

"They're together!" Biff yelped.

"And you can shut up as well Mr Dunce" Donna said getting more and more frustrated.

"How do you explain it Rose? If you're so clever?" Professor Hobbes asked snidely.

"I don't know. Sky, stop it. I said stop it. Just stop it!" Rose and Sky shouted as Rose walked closer to Sky.

"Look at the two of them!" Val carried on as Rose knelt before Sky.

"Mrs Silvestry. I'm trying to understand. You've captured my speech, what for? What d'you need? You need my voice in particular. The cleverest voice in the room. Why? Cos I'm the only one who can help? Ohh, I'd love that to be true. But your eyes. They're saying something else. Listen to me. Whatever you want, if it's life, or form, or consciousness, or voice, you don't have to steal it. You can find it without hurting anyone. And I'll help you. That's a promise. So what d'you think?" Rose and Sky said softly to one another.

"Do we have a deal?" Sky asked.

"Do we have a deal?" Rose repeated.

Everyone stood there silently as they just realised what happened. Sky was no longer following Rose's lead...it was the other way round.

"Hold on, did she...?" Dee Dee asked.

"Rose!" Donna cried out beginning to panic as Rose sat there frozen.

"She spoke first." Professor Hobbes breathed.

"She can't have." Val exclaimed.

"She did!" Professor Hobbes shouted.

"She spoke first!" Jethro said.

"Oh, look at that, I'm ahead of you." Sky said smugly.

"Oh, look at that, I'm ahead of you." Rose repeated.

"Did you see? She spoke before she did! Definitely!" Professor Hobbes babbled.

"She's copying her." Jethro said.

"Rose, what's happening?" Professor Hobbes asked.

"I think it's moved." Sky replied.

"I think it's moved."

"I think it's letting me go." Sky carried on.

"I think it's letting me go."

"What do you mean? Letting you go from what?" Dee Dee asked.

"But she's repeating now, she's the one doing it! It's her!" Biff shouted.

"Don't be stupid!" Donna spat. "It's taken her!"

"They're separating." Jethro observed.

"Mrs Silvestry? Is that you?" Professor Hobbes asked.

"Yes, yes, it's me." Sky said happily.

"Yes, yes, it's me." Rose repeated.

"I'm coming back, listen."

"I'm coming back..."

"It's me!"

"...listen. It's me!" Rose ended.

Rose sat there motionlessly as Sky moved her head and hands.

"Like it's passed into Rose. It's transferred. Whatever it is, it's gone inside her." Jethro said.

"No, that's not what happened." Dee Dee said shaking her head.

"Glad to see one of you has a brain" Donna muttered.

"But look at her!" Val cried out.

"Look at me, I can move..." Sky said.

"Look at me..."

"I can feel again..."

"I can move... I can feel again..."

"I'm coming back to life..."

"I'm coming back to life..."

"And look at her, she can't move."

"And look at her, she can't move."

"Help me."

"Help me."

"Professor?"

"Professor?"  
"Get me away from her."

"Get me away from her."

"Please."

"Please."

Professor Hobbes reached out and pulled Sky up leading her back to the others.

"Ohh thank you." Sky said.

"Ohh thank you."

"They've completely separated." Jethro said.

"It's in her, d'you see? I said it was her all the time." Biff said.

"How bloody stupid are you people?" Donna shrieked but no one paid her attention.

"She's free! She's been saved!" Val cried out.

"Oh, it was so cold." Sky said

"Oh, it was so cold."

"I couldn't breathe."

"I couldn't breathe."

"I'm sorry."

"I'm sorry."

"I must've scared you so much."

"I must've scared you so much."

Val reached out and pulled Sky into a hug. "No, no, it's all right, I've got you, Ohh, there you are my love, it's gone, everything's all right now" she said soothingly.

"Wouldn't touch her." Dee muttered.

"But it's gone, she's clean, it passed into Rose." Biff said.

"That's not what happened." Dee Dee shouted.

"FINALLY!" Donna shouted. "Someone gets it!"

"Thank you for your opinion, Dee, but clearly, Mrs Silvestry has been released." Professor Hobbes said snidely.

"No..."

"Just leave her alone! She's safe, isn't she? Jethro? It's let her go, hasn't it?"

"Think so, yeah. Looks like it. Professor?" Jethro mumbled.

"I'd say, from observation... Rose can't move, and when she was possessed, she couldn't move, so..." Professor Hobbes said calmly.

"Well, there we are then! Now the only problem we've got is this Rose" Biff shouted.

******Sky led Rose into a long talk about the creature possessing Rose, how it killed the drivers and was after everyone in the shuttle, Val kept panicking and shouting for Rose to shut up and Dee Dee kept trying to explain as Donna tried to get everyone to calm down. Both Val and Biff ended up knocking Donna out and putting her on the seats while Dee Dee was still trying to explain.**

"Just let her talk!" the Hostess shouted.

"What do you know? Fat lot of good you've been!" Biff snarled.

"Just let her explain." The Hostess said softly.

"I think... I mean, from what I've seen... it repeats, then it synchronises, then it goes on to the next stage and that's exactly what Rose said would happen!" Dee Dee rambled.

"What and you're on her side?" Biff yelled.

"No!" Dee Dee protested.

"The voice is the thing!" Jethro said in realisation.

"And she's the voice! She stole it! Look at her! It's not possessing Rose, it's draining her!" Dee Dee shouted.

"She's got Rose's voice..." the Hostess whispered.

"But that's not true, cos it can't, because I saw it pass into her, I saw it with my own eyes!" Val said childishly.

"So did I!" Biff added.

"You didn't!" Dee Dee shrieked.

"It went from her, to her. You saw it, didn't you?" Val asked.

"I don't know." Jethro said unsure.

"Oh, don't be stupid, Jethro, of course you did!" Val said.

"I suppose... she was right next to her." Jethro mumbled

"Everyone saw it, everyone!" Biff pointed out.

"You didn't, you're just making it up! I know what I saw, and I saw her stealing his voice." Dee Dee said. "Donna was trying to tell you all before"

"She's as bad as the little know it all, someone shut her up!" Val hissed.

"I think you should be quiet, Dee." Professor Hobbes snapped.

"Well, I'm only saying..." Dee Dee started.

"And that's an order! You're making a fool of yourself! Pretending you're an expert in mechanics and hydraulics, when I can tell you, you are nothing more than average, at best! Now shut up!" Professor Hobbes shouted.

No one noticed Sky's satisfied smile. "That's how she does it." She said

"That's how she does it."

"She makes you fight."

"She makes you fight."

"Creeps into your head."

"Creeps into your head."

"And whispers."

"And whispers."

"Listen."

"Listen."

"Just listen."

"Just listen."

"That's her."

"That's her."

"Inside."

"Inside."

"Throw her out!"Biff shouted.

"Get her out of my head!" Val shrieked.

"Yeah, we should throw her out!" Biff said

"Well, don't just talk about it! Just, you're useless! Do something!" Val snapped.

"I will! You watch me! I'm gonna throw her out!" Biff said.

"Yes!" Sky said.

"Yes!"

"Throw her out!"

"Throw her out!"

"Get rid of her!"

"Get rid of her!"

"Now!"

"Now!"

Biff reached out and grabbed hold of Rose's arms and began to drag her along. The Hostess and Dee Dee tried to stop him; the Professor was now reluctant but in the end helped Biff by taking Rose's legs. Sky kept jeering them on and Rose kept repeating her, Donna woke up at the same moment and began to scream at them to let Rose go when Sky said;

"Allonsy Doctor!"

"Allonsy Doctor" Rose whispered a tear falling down her cheek.

The Hostess eyes widened. "That's her voice" she whispered. "THAT'S HER VOICE" pulled Sky along with her and opened the door. She counted to six and was suddenly pulled out of the shuttle with Sky. The men dropped Rose in disbelieve, Rose who began to sob and cry.

"Mum, I want my Mum" Rose wept as she rocked forwards and backwards her arms wrapped round herself.

Donna stood up properly and glared at the others. "You lot disgust me" she hissed. "Look at that girl LOOK AT HER!" everyone flinched. "She is no older than twenty one. She may be one of the strongest women I have ever met but she's still a child in other ways. If you lot got your way you would have killed a child who wants her mum"

Donna kneeled before Rose and pulled her into a hug, glaring at everyone as she stroked Rose's hair and murmured comforts to her.

"I want my Mum" Rose carried on. "I want the Doctor, Mum, Jack, Mickey, someone please"

Everyone looked away ashamed.

DWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDW

Donna found Rose in her bedroom in the TARDIS wrapped up in a fluffy dressing gown, holding a cup of tea as she flicked through a photo album.

"How are you?" Donna asked quietly.

"I'm fine, fantastic, Molto Bene" Rose said trying to sound casual.

"Molto Bene" Donna repeated.

"Please don't do that" Rose said quickly looking terrified.

"Sorry" Donna whispered. She wondered if Rose would ever truly get over it. Probably not. "Just going to bed, see you tomorrow?"

"Please don't leave me" Rose whispered.

Donna's heart melted at the child-like voice, she was right Rose was still a child in some ways and a child needs comforting. "I won't" she said slipping in and sitting down by Rose on the bed. Rose began to show her the photo album.

"That's my Mum; she's the most wonderful person ever. You would like her, the pair of you are rather alike...and this is me and Mickey"


	27. Turn Left

They were standing in a market with bright red and orange banners and posters fluttered through. Rose let out a laugh from a joke the owner of a stall told her and Donna beamed, so glad to see Rose healing from the incident from the planet Midnight. The owner pours them foamy drinks and Rose hands Donna a glass.

"You are so going to love this" she said. "On the count of three. One...two...three" they take a sip and snort with laughter.

"This is lovely" Donna said finishing hers off before wandering by herself as Rose got pulled away by another stall owner. Donna passes a Chinese looking woman sitting serenely in front of her stall.

"Tell your fortune lady...your future predicted. Your life foretold" the woman said.

"I'm happy right now thanks" Donna said dismissively.

"You got red hair, the fortune is free for red hair" the woman persisted.

Donna let out another laugh. "All right then" she said.

DWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDW

Donna was sitting opposite the fortune teller who was holding her hands in a small tent. The smell of incense was almost overwhelming.

"Oh you are fascinating" the Fortune Teller said. "I can see...a woman. The most remarkable woman, how did you meet her?"

"You're supposed to tell me" Donna shot back looking amused.

"I see the future. Tell me the past...when did your lives cross?" the Fortune Teller said softly.

"It's sort of complicated. I ended up in a spaceship on my wedding day. Long story." Donna said shrugging.

"But what led you to that meeting?"

"All sorts of things. But my job, I suppose... it was on Earth, this planet called Earth, miles away... but I had this job, as a temp - I was a secretary at a place called HC Clements... " Donna's ramble was cut short as she saw herself in HC Clements office working before the tent came back into her sight. "...sorry"

"It's the incense. Just... breathe deep. This job of yours - what choices led you there?" the Fortune Teller said.

"There was a choice... six months before... because the Agency offered me this contract with HC Clements..." Donna said scrunching her eyes shut in memory.

_She was sitting in car, her mother in the passenger seat looking sullen and annoyed. _

"But there was this other job. My mum knew this man..." Donna said softly.

"_Jival, he's called. Jival Chowdry. He runs that little photocopy business and he needs a secretary." Sylvia said._

"_I've. Got. A job!" Donna growled through gritted teeth._

"_As a temp! This is permanent; it's twenty thousand a year, Donna." Sylvia went on her voice getting a pitch higher. _

"_HC Clements is in the city. It's nice, it's posh, so, stop it!" Donna snapped as she turned the key in the ignition. _

"Your life could have gone one way or the other. What made you decide?" the Fortune Teller asked interestedly.

"I just did..."

Donna didn't notice the large beetle crawl into the tent and slowly making it's way to her.

"But when was the moment? When did you choose..." the Fortune Teller persisted.

_They were now at a junction, a lorry drives past them. _

"_It won't take long, just turn right! We'll pop in and see Mr Chowdry, so Suzette can introduce you." Sylvia said in a pervasive voice. _

"_I'm going left, if you don't like it, get out and walk." Donna snapped getting frustrated. _

"_If you turn right you'll have a career, not just filling in!" Sylvia said getting equally frustrated. _

"_You think I'm so useless!" Donna burst out. _

"_Oh, I know why you want a job at HC Clements, lady - because you think you'll meet a man with lots of money and your whole life will change - well let me tell you, sweetheart, city executives don't need temps, except for practice!" Sylvia ranted. _

"_Yeah. Well, they haven't met me." Donna said turning left. _

"You turned left. But what if you turned right, what then..." the Fortune Teller said interestedly.

"Let go of my hands" Donna said pulling away getting scared.

"What if it changes, what if you go right, what if you could still go right..." the Fortune Teller droned.

"Stop it!" Donna shrieked. Something crawls onto her back, she could feel it. "What's that? ...what's on my back? What is it, what... what's on my back?"

"Make the choice again, Donna Noble, and change your mind... turn right." The Fortune Teller said in a hypnotic voice.

"I'm turning..." Donna whispered.

"Turn right... turn right. Turn right!" the Fortune Teller chanted.

_She was sitting back in the car, her mother was ranting on and she was listening. God her mother was right. _

"_Well let me tell you, sweetheart – city executives don't need temps, except for practise!"_

"_Yeah suppose you're right" Donna said dejectedly, switching the indication to right before turning. _

"Turn right and never meet that woman. Turn right and change the world" the Fortune Teller said.

DWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDW

She was in a pub holding a tray of drinks. It was crowded as everyone was celebrating Christmas, the decorations above looked tacky but at the same time Christmassy.

"Come on then. Get out of the way! Get out of the way!" Donna shouted through the crowd as she made her way to her table. She put down the tray grinning down at her friends. "Here we are! Feed at the trough!"

"Mooky says let's go to the boardwalk, it's two for the price of one!" Veena said.

"Christmas Eve, it'll be heaving!" Donna complained.

"Well exactly, get in and grab them!" Mooky said smiling slyly.

Everyone laughed.

"Hey, that's the second round of drinks you've bought, it was my turn!" Veena complained jokingly.

"I can afford it. Promotion. You are talking to Jival Chowdry's Personal Assistant, I'll have you know, capital P, capital a, £23,000 per annum, merci beaucoup!" Donna bragged.

"Here's to Mr Chowdry!" Veena said raising her glass.

"Mr Chowdry!" everyone chanted clinking their glasses.

"She gets all the luck!" Mooky said jealously. Donna wasn't listening she was looking at her friend Alice who was sitting there quietly looking terrified at Donna.

"What's wrong?" Donna asked. "What is it?"

"Sorry?" Alice squeaked.

"Did someone spill a drink on me?" Donna asked.

"Why?" Alice asked nervously.

"Why do you keep looking at my shoulder? What's wrong?" Donna persisted getting annoyed.

"I don't know..." Alice said quietly.

"Oh, don't tell me you're getting all spooky again, it was bad enough when you saw the ghost of Earl Mountbatten at the boat show! What are you looking at? What is it?" Donna rambled.

"It's like... it's like there's something I can't see." Alice whispered.

"Now, shut up! All of you come and see! Just look at the sky! It's a star! It's a Christmas star!" A man shouted from the door.

"...well, come on then!" Veena said getting up looking excited.

They ran out to see a huge silver webbed star flying over London, Veena and Mooky were complaining loudly about the waste of money it was when it suddenly started to shoot out bolts of electricity out. Everyone screamed but Donna who was staring at it in wonder. Alice is still staring at Donna's back.

"There is something on your back!" she screamed before running off. Donna ignores her and begins to run towards the star, ignoring her friends calling her back.

DWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDW

Donna ran until she reached a barrier where soldiers were guarding, she silently slipped past a truck and stood there watching them carry a body. A brunette woman walked up holding up a plastic wallet.

"Sarah Jane Smith, you requested me" she said calmly.

The soldier saluted her. "Ma'am it is a pleasure. We need you to identify a body...we think it might be the girl you have told us about"

Sarah Jane took a shaky breath before walking to the stretcher; she slowly unzipped the bag and pulled it aside. Suddenly she let out a sob. "Yes it is her" she said tears running down quickly. "It's Rose Tyler. Must have happened fast, before she could have regenerated. Oh Rose"

"Escort the ambulance back to UNIT base" the soldier ordered the other soldiers. "Ma'am will you ride with the girl? Or do you wish to go home?"

"I will hold her hand till the very end" Sarah Jane said sincerely following the body into the ambulance. The doors shut and the soldiers began to pack up.

Donna began to slowly walk away, the name Rose Tyler ran through her mind. She feels like she knew this woman from somewhere yet she has never heard of her. Suddenly a man in a brown suit ran up to her and grabbed hold of her shoulders.

"What happened?" he asked scanning her face. "What did they find? I'm sorry did they find someone?"

"Yes" Donna said shakily. "A girl called Rose Tyler or something"

"Where is she?" the man asked shaking her. "I need to find her! Donna where is Rose?"

"They took her away...said she was dead" Donna said quietly, wondering how this man knew her name. "Who are you? How do you know my name?"

He ignored her questions; his eyes darkened and his face looked a mixture of shock and grieve. "Rose" he whispered. "Oh Rose"

"I'm sorry" Donna said. "Did you know her? They said her surname was Tyler, she might not be your Rose."

"I come so far" the man whispered letting her go. "Only to find her gone"

"What's your name?" Donna asked. "How did you know my name? Who are you?"

"Oh, I was just passing by, I shouldn't even be here. This is... wrong. It's wrong. This is so wrong." The man said shaking his head. His eyes skated towards her back and they narrowed.

"Why do you keep looking at my back?" Donna snapped.

"I'm not!" the man protested.

"Yes you are. You keep looking behind me. You're doing it now!" she turns round trying to look her back to see what he was staring at. "What is it? What's there? Did someone put something on my back?"

She turns to find the man gone.

DWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDW

She was cleaning out her attic when she found a box of things dating from 1913, inside there was a leather bound journal that was empty. Not a word written down and yet she was sure there was supposed to be a diary. A diary about the impossible girl. That night she had a dream.

_She was sitting in a room, a bedroom; an old man is lying in bed with monitors and life support equipment by his side. A pale woman with dark hair and dark eyes is watching her from the other side of the bed._

"_Who are you?" Donna asked. _

"_She is my great, great niece Donna Noble" the old man creaked. _

"_How do you know my name?" Donna asked. "Everyone seems to know my name. I never met you people before in my life!"_

"_My name is Timothy Latmir and my niece here is Gwen Cooper" the old man said. "We're here to plead with you"_

"_We need you to go back" Gwen said. "Go back in time and reverse what has been done before the end of the world is upon us"_

"_How did I get here?" Donna demanded getting scared, frustrated and annoyed. "End of the world? What end of the world? Back in time? Make sense people!"_

"_We are telepaths, psychics" Gwen said quietly. "It is a family gift. This is not the right path...we are all going to die Donna"_

"_So what am I supposed to do?!" Donna shouted. _

"_Turn left. Turn left Donna Noble" Timothy croaked. "Turn left and save Rose Tyler. Turn left and prevent the deaths to come"_

"_How?" Donna shouted. _

"_Sarah Jane and Martha will be the firsts" Gwen said quietly. "Then London will be destroyed. Then I will die and then the darkness will come. We need Rose Tyler to save us and she needs you. Turn left Donna Noble"_

"_I don't understand!"_

"_Turn Left"_

And then she woke.

DWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDW

She got fired from her job, all that hard work and she was fired. Through a fit of fury she packed her stuff including some other things that belonged to everyone else. While she was doing that a hospital disappeared and when it came back everyone was dead but one medical student. Everyone including a Sarah Jane Smith and a Martha Jones..._Sarah Jane and Martha will be the firsts. _Wasn't that what her dream told her? She needed to get out of the house, to think things through, to remind herself that she can't see the future and she's imagining things.

There was a sudden blue flash coming from an alley and a brown blur before a man stopped just before her, his hair looked stuck up as if he had just been electrocuted.

"Blimey! Are you all right? What was that, fireworks or...?" Donna asked worriedly walking up to the man.

"Donna Noble!" the man shouted picking her up into a bear hug. "Great to meet you again, how are you?"

"Hang on you're that man. In town during Christmas Eve" Donna said squirming out of his grasp. "What was your name again?"

"How're you doing? You're looking good. How's things, what have you been up to?" the man asked ignoring her question while looking at her back.

"You're doing it again." Donna accused him.

"What?" he asked innocently.

"Looking behind me. People keep on doing that. Looking at my back." Donna said sadly.

"What sort of people?" the man asked interestedly and for some reason Donna believed he was truly interested. That he wanted to help her.

"People in the street. Strangers. I just catch them sometimes, staring at me. Like they're looking at something. And then I get home, and I look, and there's nothing there." ___She turned to look at her back and even smacked it with her hand.__ "_See? Look, now I'm doing it!

"What are you doing for Christmas?" the man asked suddenly.

"What am I what?" Donna asked getting confused.

"Next Christmas, any plans?" the man asked.

"I don't know that's ages away. Nothing much I suppose. Why?" Donna asked watching him suspiciously.

"Just … I think you should get out. You and your family. Don't stay in London, just... leave the city." The man said dazedly.

"What for?" Donna asked, hands on her hips.

"Nice hotel, Christmas break?" the man offered.

"Can't afford it." Donna said dejectedly.

"Well no, you, you got that raffle ticket." The man pointed out.

"How do you know about that?" Donna asked. "Are you stalking me or something?"

"What? Why would I do that? Anyway...First prize – luxury weekend break. Use it, Donna Noble." The man said.

"Why won't you tell me your name?" Donna asked. The man stares at her and her glares intensifies. He still won't answer her. "I think you should leave me alone" she storms off ignoring the strange electric sounds that she heard before.

DWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDW

Donna won the raffle; she, her mum and her granddad went to the hotel to celebrate Christmas. The very next morning a replica of the Titanic landed into London causing a radioactive explosion. So many people died. But she was alive, alive because that man told her to go...but how did he know? They were moved to Leeds and shared with a big family who at first seemed a bit over the top but soon enough they got on rather well. America could no longer help them, so many people died by being turned into fat. Fat that was waving goodbye as they flew into the air in a spaceship. The nice family was soon taken away, no one said it but the tear on her granddad's face told her that it was a concentration camp...more deaths.

She was woken up by the sounds of a gun shooting. She followed the sounds to find a soldier shooting at an exhaust pipe that was expelling gas. Something was wrong with the ATMOS, the solider pointed the gun at her, claiming he saw something on her back, her grandfather was ranting at him when she saw the familiar blue flash. She slowly began to walk away.

"Donna? Where are you going? It's not safe at night! Donna! Donna!" her mother screamed after her.

She went round a corner and there he stood with a brown trench coat on and his hands in his pocket.

"Hello" she said quietly.

"Hello Donna Noble" he said grinning at her, he held a hand out and she took it without a single thought.

DWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDW

They were sitting on a park bench away from the city; the air was literally cleaner here than it was over there.

"It's the ATMOS devices. We're lucky it's not so bad here; Britain hasn't got that much petrol. But all over Europe, China, South Africa... they're getting choked by gas." The man said mournfully.

"Can anyone stop it?" Donna asked.

"Yeah, they're trying right now, this little band of fighters, Great Spirit, lovely teamwork, some f the best I seen; they're on board the Sontaran ship. Any second now..." the man said clucking his tongue.

Suddenly the sky was on fire and it burned brightly before it went back to the dark night sky.

"And that was...?" Donna asked gasping in shock, her eyes wide.

"That was the Torchwood team. Gwen Cooper, Ianto Jones, they gave their lives. And Captain Jack Harkness has transported to the Sontaran home world. There's no-one left." The man said with the same mournful tone and a dark sad look in his eyes.

Gwen Cooper...the woman in her dream. She said she was going to die...

"You're always wearing the same clothes. Why won't you tell me your name?" Donna asked instead not wanting to talk about the strange dream.

"None of this was supposed to happen" the man said once again ignoring Donna's questions. "This woman, this fantastically brilliantly wonderful woman she stopped it all. The Titanic, the Adipose, the ATMOS, she stopped it all."

"Rose...Rose Tyler wasn't it?" Donna asked still remembering that Christmas Eve...it haunts her dreams most nights.

"You knew her" the man said quietly.

"I did? When?"

"I think you dream of her sometimes. Blonde hair and cheeky smile. Brilliant cheeky smile, tongue always poking out. Pink and yellow she is. Pink and yellow" the man babbled lost in thought.

"Who are you?" Donna asked.

"I'm like you...well not completely like you, for a start I'm smarter, better looking and so much more fun than you but you got those lovely ginger locks and-"

She cut him off with a slap.

"Ouch! What was that for?" he asked pouting.

"You kept babbling it was annoying. Plus you insulted me" Donna growled.

"Point is I used to travel with Rose just like you do. Well supposed to, you travelled with Rose in a different world"

"I never met her, she's dead" Donna spat out.

"She died underneath the Thames on Christmas Eve but you were meant to be there. She needed someone to stop her and that was you. You made her leave, you saved her life" the man said quietly.

She could see it, a blonde woman beautiful in her own way staring blankly, darkly down at her as fire and water raged behind her. She was shouting for her to stop...then the memory was gone.

"Stop it. I don't know what you're talking about, leave me alone!" Donna shouted jumping of the bench and walking away backwards. The man stood up.

"Something's coming, Donna. Something worse." He said.

"The whole world is stinking. How can anything be worse than this?" Donna asked in disbelieve.

"Trust me. We need Rose more than ever. I've - I've been pulled across from a different universe, because every single universe is in danger. It's coming, Donna. It's coming from across the stars and nothing can stop it." The man said looking at her pleadingly.

"WHAT is?" Donna shouted.

"The darkness."

"Well, what do you keep telling ME for? What am I supposed to do? I'm nothing special. I mean, I'm... I'm not, I'm nothing special, and I'm a temp. I'm not even that, I'm nothing!" Donna shouted getting frustrated, she wanted more than anything to go to bed and cry.

"Donna Noble, you're the most important woman in the whole of creation now" the man said.

Donna let out a bitter laugh. "Oh, don't. Just... don't. I'm tired. I'm so... tired."

"I need you to come with me." The man said.

"Not in this lifetime paper cut. Skinny is not my type" Donna said sniffing.

The man grinned. "That's more like it" he said.

"I've got plenty more." Donna said feeling a smile form on her face.

"I know you'll come with me. Only when you want to." The man said smugly.

"You'll have a long wait, then." Donna retorted.

"Not really, just three weeks. Tell me, does your grandfather still own that telescope?"

"He never lets go of it."

"Three weeks time. But you've got to be certain. Cos, when you come with me, Donna... sorry... so sorry, but... you're gonna die" he then faded right before her eyes.

DWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDW

She was sitting with her Granddad on a hill watching the stars when the stars started to go out, constellations...nothing but darkness. She turned to see the man leaning against the shed.

"I'm ready" she whispered.

He held out a hand and she took it.

They took a jeep to a warehouse where mirrors where placed in a circle with many lights. The lights weren't turned on and the mirrors were covered with sheets. There stood a giant blue box with wires connecting it to a large computer and the mirrors.

"Sir" a female officer saluted the man.

"I told you, no saluting" the man admonished her.

"But it is an honour sir, to be working with the great Doctor" the woman said.

"Oh please not this again" the man said rolling his eyes.

"Doctor? Is that you're name? What type of name is that?" Donna asked looking confused and annoyed.

"He has no other name" the woman said helpfully. "You must be Miss Noble"

"Donna"

"Captain Erisa Magambo. Thank you for this." Captain Magambo said shaking her hand.

"I don't even know what I'm doing." Donna said.

"Is she awake?" the Doctor asked.

"Seems to be quiet today. Ticking over. Like it's waiting." Captain Magambo said.

The Doctor watched the blue box with a mournful expression before turning to Donna. "D'you want to see her?" he asked.

"What's a 'police box'?" Donna asked.

"They salvaged her from underneath the Thames. Just go inside." The Doctor said looking annoyed.

"What for?"

"Just go in!"

He grinned when he saw Donna walk in and shouting in disbelieve. After making her a coffee he began to show her round the console room.

"Time And Relative Dimension in Space" the Doctor said. "This room used to shine with light ever so brightly...she's dying. Losing me and then losing Rose has gotten to much for her." He reached out and stroked a bit of the console, it rose a bit. "But she's still trying to help, trying to get better for me"

"And it belonged to Rose?" Donna asked.

"No she belonged to me...Rose took care of her when I got trapped in a parallel world...the two were close to one another"

"But if she was so special" Donna said quietly. "Why was she with me?"

"She thought you were brilliant. No more than brilliant, fantastic...that word still doesn't fit my teeth" the Doctor said licking his teeth thoughtfully.

"Don't be stupid" Donna snorted.

"But you are. Rose sees the best in people all the time; she wouldn't have picked you if you weren't special"

"Were you and her...?"

"No, no, no, nothing like that. Just the best of friends, hope and glory, shiver and shake, stuff of legends" the Doctor said. He paused. "Do you want to see what it is that everyone looks at?"

DWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDW

He showed her the giant beetle like creature on her back and had to reassure her that she was special that it was nothing to do with the creature. He then told her what she was going to do...travel back in time. They got her ready and were starting the machine.

"Just remember, when you get to the junction, change the car's direction by one minute past ten." The Doctor instructed Donna.

"How do I do that?" Donna asked.

"It's up to you." The Doctor shrugged.

"Well, I just have to... run up to myself and... have a good argument." Donna said doubtfully.

The Doctor laughed. "I'd like to see that! I bet it would get rather interesting"

"Activate loadstone." Captain Magambo shouted.

"Good luck." The Doctor said.

"I'm ready!"

"One minute past ten." The Doctor reminded her.

"Cos I understand, now. You said I was gonna die, but you mean this whole world, it's gonna blink out of existence. But that's not dying. Because a better world takes its place. The Doctor's world. And I'm still alive! That's right, isn't it? I don't die? If I change things, I don't die? That's... that's right, isn't it?" Donna said hopefully.

"I'm sorry. I am so, so sorry"

"But I can't die! I've got a future! With Rose - you told me!" Donna shouted feeling terrified.

"Activate!" Captain Magambo shouted.

Sparks flew around her and she was engulfed in a white light.

DWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDW

She was running while inwardly cursing the Doctor, the git dropped her off half a mile away and she only has a few minutes to stop herself from turning right. She saw the lorry drive past and she realised something...she was going to die. She took a deep breath before taking a step into the road in front of the speeding lorry.

She lies there on the floor bleeding and broken inside and there stood the Doctor mouthing I'm sorry to her. He bends to his knees as strokes her hair briefly.

"When you see Rose" He said quietly. "Tell her this..." he bends down and whispers two words, his cool breath tickles her neck before he pulls back.

"_Well, that decides it. I'm not sitting in a traffic jam. I'm going left."_

She heard herself say and then she saw. A blonde woman looking cold and dark as fire and water raged on. The same blonde woman beaming at her as they have a snowball right, creatures that she couldn't imagine, people she never met. Adventures, laughter, friends...

She woke with a gasp and let go of the Fortune Teller's hands screaming. Something drops off her back and the Fortune Teller is cowering in the corner.

"What the hell is that?" Donna spat out getting up from her seat.

"You were so strong. What are you? What will you be?" the woman backed out of the tent screaming. "What will you be?"

The tent flap is lifted open and Rose steps in smiling. "There you are! I thought I lost you"

Donna threw her arms round Rose, holding her tightly.

"What was that for?" Rose asked laughing.

"I don't know" Donna said.

DWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDW

Rose was poking the insect thing with a incense stick as Donna sat there thoughtfully.

"Can't remember much" she said. ""it's slipping away. You know like you have a dream and it sort of just goes"

"Just got lucky, this thing. It's one of the Trickster's brigade. Changes a life in tiny little ways. Most times, the universe just compensates around it, but with you... great big parallel world!" Rose said admiringly.

"Hold on, you said parallel worlds are sealed off." Donna said frowning.

"They are. But you had one created around you" Rose stared at her curiously. "Funny thing is, seems to be happening a lot. To you."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Donna snapped.

"Well, the Library and then this..." Rose said shrugging.

"Just... goes with the job. I suppose" Donna sighed.

"Sometimes I think there's way too much coincidence around you, Donna. I met you once. Then I met your grandfather. Then I met you again. In the whole wide universe, I met you for a second time. It's like something's binding us together." Rose said thoughtfully.

"Don't be so daft. I'm nothing special." Donna snorted.

"Yes you are you're fantastic" Rose said fondly, smiling.

"_She thought you were brilliant. No more than brilliant, fantastic...that word still doesn't fit my teeth"_

"He said that" Donna whispered.

"Who did?" Rose asked.

"This man...I can't remember"

"Well he never existed now" Rose said reassuringly, really hoping that Donna hasn't picked up another husband in this parallel world.

"No, but he said...the stars...he said the stars were going out" Donna said scowling.

"Yes but that world is gone now" Rose said.

"No but he said it was all worlds. Every world. He said the darkness is coming, even here" Donna said stressing on each word hoping Rose would understand.

"Who was he?"

"I don't know"

"What did he look like?"

"He was...brown. Brown hair, eyes and suit" Donna said constructing the image in her head.

"What was his name?"

"He didn't have one...not a proper one"

"What was it?" Rose said urgently grabbing hold of Donna's wrist tightly.

"I can't remember...but he said...told me....to warn you...two words"

"Two words? What were they? What did he say?"

"Bad Wolf"

Rose sat there frozen. "No" she whispered. "It can't be"

"Well what does it mean?" Donna asked.

Rose jumps up without answering and runs out of the tent, the banners were now translated to Bad Wolf, the posters were now saying Bad Wolf and the moment she reached the TARDIS every word on it was replaced with Bad Wolf. She stepped into to see the light a dark red and the cloister bells ringing. Donna comes in after her, panting.

"Rose what is it? What's Bad Wolf?" she asked.

"It's me...I am the Bad Wolf" Rose whispered.


	28. Valiant Child

_My Name is Rose Tyler. _

_For the first nineteen years of my life I lived on Earth, day by day. Then I met a man called the Doctor who showed me amazing things and took travelling in his magical blue box. We thought it was going to last my forever...then the Battle of Canary Wharf happened and he was taken from me. Never to be seen again. _

_I took his place in the universe, I had become his successor. My physiology no longer human but Time Lady. The TARDIS taught me ever bit knowledge that the Doctor himself had. I had companions, Martha Jones and Donna Noble. I was reunited to my brother like figure Jack and I was finally learning why the Doctor is the way he is._

_But then the walls between universes collapsed._

_Then the Earth was stolen along with 26 other planets._

_And the Children of Time started to gather. _

_This is the story of how I died. _

The TARDIS landed on a curb on a suburb road, Rose burst out and scanned her surroundings followed by Donna who was looking just as frantically...it was a nice sunny day.

"It's fine" Rose said quietly. "Nothing wrong, everything is ...fine"

A milk float drove past slowly.

"Excuse me!" Rose called out. "What day is it?"

"Saturday" the milkman shouted back.

"Saturday" Rose repeated. "I like Saturdays, nights out, lie ins, fried breakfast..."

"So I just met the Doctor?" Donna asked remembering the discussion the two had before Rose landed them back into present day Earth.

"Yeah"

"Bit skinny though. Can't see why you would want to snog that paper cut at all" Donna said shaking her head. "But I thought he was locked up in a parallel world"

"He is. But if he is able to cross he's parallel world into your parallel world then that means the walls have gone down again and that is not good" Rose said walking back into the TARDIS. Donna followed, closing the door behind her.

She walked up to Rose slowly who was fiddling with the console. "But Rose" she said quietly. "No matter what's happening – which is probably bad – but the Doctor is coming back. Isn't that good?"

Rose looked up and thought for awhile...was is it good? This was the man who held her hand and saved her life. This was the man who showed her the stars and how to be the best she can. But he was also the man that broke her heart repeatedly, the man that chose a French whore over her, the man that let go and fell into another world. The man that stupidly left his hand so giving someone the chance to clone him. But he was forever the man she dreamed of whenever she fell asleep, the man she craved for, the man she loved.

She smiled. "Yeah, yeah it is" she whispered.

Suddenly there was a loud noise and the TARDIS shook throwing both women down onto the floor.

"What the hell was that?" Donna shouted as she got up.

"That came outside!" Rose said sitting up. She ran to the TARDIS door and opened it to reveal...nothing. No Earth, just black space with the occasional asteroid drifting past.

"But we're in space" Donna whispered. "How did that happen?" Rose went back to the console. "What have you done now?"

"What makes you think I've done anything?" Rose asked innocently. "We haven't moved Donna. We're fixed...someone has taken the Earth"

Donna looked back to the empty space. "You have got to be kidding me" she said. "Talk about the heist of the century"

Meanwhile back on Earth the milkman stood there frozen looking at the sky in shock when there was a flash of blue light and a man in brown pinstripes stood there was a large gun strapped to his back.

"Oh now we're in trouble" he muttered. "Let the fun begin" he walked along and waved at the milkman. "Morning!"

DWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDW

"But if the Earth's been moved, they've lost the sun! What about my Mum? And Granddad? They're dead, aren't they? Are they dead?" Donna asked looking worried, scared and very pale.

"I don't know, Donna, I just don't know, I'm sorry, I don't know..." Rose said reading the monitor.

"That's my family. My whole world." Donna whispered.

"Mine as well" Rose murmured. "Damn! There are no readings. Nothing. Not a trace. Not even a whisper. Oh, that is fantastic technology!"

"So what do we do?" Donna asked.

"We've got to get help." Rose said.

"From where?"

"Donna... I'm taking you to the Shadow Proclamation. Hold tight!" Rose said starting up a sequence on the console as the TARDIS engines started.

DWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDW

He walked along a street where alarms were ringing, people were screaming in fear and some in drunken delight. He tutted, trust humans to react like this.

"The end of the world mate" a drunken man said holding his beer up. "End of the stinking world"

"Have one on me" he said nodding. The moment the man turned round he rolled his eyes and carried on walking. He spotted electronics shop and saw two young men looting it. "Oi you two, get out of here" he shouted.

The men looked at him and laughed.

"A skinny prick like you? What are you going to do eh?" one of them asked.

"Well I don't want to do this but I do have a nice big shiny gun" he pulled the strap round to show the gun that Jackie practically stapled to him. "Do you like it?"

The men ran off terrified and he walked into the shop, putting on his glasses as he set up the laptop to show him a screen of 27 planets with spaceships moving towards the Earth. A message began to play.

"Ex-terminate! Ex-terminate!"

He glared at the laptop before shutting it and leaving the shop, just as he left the shop something explodes behind him causing him to stagger slightly. He doesn't look back, knowing full well that he was going to see fire if he did.

"Bloody daleks" he muttered under his breath.

DWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDW

The TARDIS was shaking rather violently as they headed to the Shadow Proclamation. Donna was holding so tightly to the metal railing that her knuckles were turning white.

"So go on then, what is the Shadow Proclamation anyway?" she said as the TARDIS stopped.

"Posh name for police. Outer space police. Here we go!" Rose said opening the door and stepping out to have several Judoon standing there with their guns pointed at her. "Ah..."

"Sco Bo tro no flo Jo ko fo. To to!" the leader barked out.

"No bo ho sho ko ro to so. Bo-ko-do-zo-go-bo-fo-po-jo!" Rose snapped causing the Judoon to lower their guns. "Mo ho."

DWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDW

"Time Lords are the stuff of legend. They belong in the myths and whispers of the Higher Species. You as a Time Lady cannot possibly exist. Especially one so young" the aging woman in black known as the Shadow Architect snapped.

"Yeah, more to the point, I've got a missing planet!" Rose said rolling her eyes. As she wandered round the Shadow Architect's office.

"Then you're not as wise as the stories would say. The picture is far bigger than you imagine. The whole universe is in outrage, Ms Tyler. 24 worlds have been taken from the sky." The Shadow Architect said tiredly.

"How many?! Which ones?! Show me!" Rose said running to a computer.

"Locations range far and wide. But all disappeared at the exact same moment. Leaving no trace." The Shadow Architect said.

"Callufrax Minorr. Jahoo. Shallacatop. Woman Wept oh not Woman Wept, I loved that place... Clom! Clom's gone! Who'd want Clom?!" Rose said reading out the names on the list.

"All different sizes, some populated, some not. But all unconnected." The Shadow Architect said sighing.

"What about Pryovile?" Donna asked suddenly.

"Who is the female?" the Shadow Architect asked.

"Donna! I'm a human being. Maybe not the stuff of legend but every bit as important as Time Lords, thank you." Donna snapped looking annoyed, Rose watched her with a proud smile on her face,

"Way back when we were in Pompeii, Lucius said Pryovile had gone missing." Donna said reminding Rose.

"Pryovile is cold case. Not relevant!" a Judoon barked out.

"How d'you mean, cold case?" Donna asked.

"The planet Pryovile cannot be part of this, it disappeared over 2,000 years ago." The Shadow Architect said.

"Yes, yes, hang on... But there's the Adipose breeding planet too, Miss Foster said that was lost, but that must've been a long time ago." Donna pointed out.

"That's it! Donna, fantastic! Planets are being taken out of time as well as space... Let's put this into 3-D..." Rose fiddled with the computer causing holograms of the lost planets to appear in the air. "Now, if we add Pryovile... And Adipose 3... Something missing. Where else, where else, where else, where else... lost, lost, lost, lost... Oh! The Lost Moon of Poosh!"

she adds the last one and suddenly the holograms move and rearrange themselves.

"What did you do?" the Shadow Architect asked.

"Nothing. The planets rearranged themselves into the optimum pattern. Oh, look at that! 27 planets in perfect balance. Come on, that is gorgeous!" Rose babbled excitedly.

"Oi, don't get all Space-Girl, what does it mean?" Donna asked, hands on her hips.

"All those worlds fit together like pieces of an engine. It's like a powerhouse! What for?" Rose said mostly to herself, thinking what machine it could be.

"Who could design such a thing?" the Shadow Architect asked.

**"****I have no idea" Rose said. **

******DWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDW**

******Donna sat there on the stairs holding her cup tightly, the servant had really creeped her out by saying how she'll have losses in the future. When Rose walked up to her and sat down by her. **

**"****Think about it Donna" she said quietly. "Has something strange been happening? Electrical storms, freak weather, patterns in the sky. That sort of thing"**

"Well, how should I know? Um... no, I don't think so, no." Donna said shaking her head.

"Oh, OK, never mind."

"Although... there were the bees disappearing."

"The bees disappearing... The bees disappearing." Rose eyes widened as she realised something. "The bees, disappearing!" she ran back to the computer.

"How is that significant?" the Shadow Architect asked as she and Donna followed Rose to the computer.

"On Earth we have these insects. Some people said it was pollution, or mobile phone signals." Donna said waving her hand.

"Or - they were going back home!" Rose muttered.

"Back home where?" Donna asked.

"Planet Melissa Majoria!"

"Are you saying bees are aliens?!" Donna said disbelievingly.

"Don't be so daft. Not all of them. But if the migrant bees felt something coming, some sort of danger, and escaped... Tandocca!" Rose babbled.

"The Tandocca Scale!" the Shadow Architect exclaimed.

"Tandocca Scale is the series of wavelengths used as a carrier signals by migrant bees. Infinitely small, no wonder we didn't see it! Like looking for a speck of cinnamon in the Sahara, but look! There it is. The Tandocca trail. The transmit that moved the planets was using the same wavelength, we can follow the path!" Rose shouted happily.

"And find the Earth?! Well, stop talking and do it!" Donna bellowed making her way to the TARDIS

"I am!" Rose shouted following her. She bursts into the TARDIS and begins to fiddles with the controls "We're a bit late, the signals scattered. But it's a start!" she runs out to the Shadow Architect. "I've got a blip! It's just a blip! But it's definitely a blip!"

"Then according to the Strictures of the Shadow Proclamation, I will have to seize your transport and your technology." The Shadow Architect said flatly.

"What! Why?" Rose asked, taken back.

"The planets were stolen with hostile intent. We are declaring war, Ms Tyler. Right across the universe. And you will lead us into battle!" the Shadow Architect explained.

"Right, yes, course I will. I'll just go and... get you the key..." Rose said shiftily as she went back inside. She ran to the console winking at Donna, she couldn't take the Shadow Proclamation with her; a bloodbath would start if that happens. She pulls a lever and the TARDIS starts to dematerialise.

"Ms Tyler! Come back! By the Holy Writ of the Shadow Proclamation, I order you to stop!" the Shadow Architect bellowed.

******DWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDW**

******Wilf and Sylvia were watching the daleks take the humans away when an electronic voice shouted at them. **

**"****Halt! You will come with me!" a dalek barked out. **

**"****Will I heck!" Wilf spat out. He aims his paint gun at the dalek and fires causing a yellow splodge of paint land on the dalek's eye stalk. But suddenly the paint boils away.**

**"****My vision is not impaired" the dalek said. **

**"****I warned you Dad!" Sylvia shouted. **

**"****Hostility will not be tolerated. Ex-terminate! Ex-terminate! Ex-ter-"**

******Suddenly the whole top half of the dalek blows up and the father and daughter look up to see the Doctor holding a gun. **

**"****Do you wanna swap?" Wilf asked holding his paint gun up. **

**"****Love to!" the Doctor said beaming. "I hate guns, hate them, hate them, hate them, brilliant idea you had there, shame it didn't work. The only way to stop a dalek is to completely destroy it. I'm the Doctor by the way. I'm looking for Donna Noble's family"**

******Both Wilf and Sylvia held their hands up weakly. **

**"****Oh that is brilliant. Think you could make me a cup of tea? I'm thirsty as hell"**

******DWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDW**

******The TARDIS suddenly stops moving and Rose and Donna stand there in silence for a moment. **

**"****She stopped" Rose whispered. **

**"****What do you mean? Is that a good thing or a bad thing?" Donna asked. **

**"****The Medusa Cascade...never been here but it's supposed to oh so beautiful" Rose said quietly staring at the screen.**

**"****So where are the 27 planets?" Donna asked. **

"Nowhere. The Tandocca Trail stops dead." Rose sighed in defeat. "End of the line."

"So what do you we do Rose?" Donna asked. "What do we do?" her voice was getting louder.

"Nothing...I'm not the Doctor, Donna" Rose said looking defeated.

Now don't do this to me. No, don't, don't do this to me. Not now. Tell me, what are we going do? You never give up. Please." Donna begged but Rose only stood there silently.

DWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDW

******The Doctor and Wilf were explaining to Sylvia about Donna's travels with Rose when a female voice could be heard from the laptop. The Doctor ran to it and got it up working to see Harriet Jones admonishing Jack for giving up. **

**"****Harriet Jones, long time, no see" the Doctor cried out. "Have you lot got a webcam I could use?" he asked Wilf. **

"No, she wouldn't let me, she said they're naughty." Wilf said sulky pointing at his daughter.

"I can't speak to her then, can I?" the Doctor groaned frustrated. Suddenly three windows popped up. One of Harriet who looked stressed yet more relaxed in her causal clothes. Sarah Jane and a young boy and Jack with two other people.

"The fourth contact seems to be having some trouble getting through." Harriet said frowning.

"That's me! Harriet! That's me!" the Doctor shouted excitedly. "God you have know idea how proud of you all I am!"

"I'll just boost the signal..." Harriet said as if the Doctor never spoken. She typed in some codes and suddenly a black woman appeared on the screen.

"Hello?" she called out

"Martha Jones!" Jack laughed in relief.

"Who's she? I want to get through!" the Doctor said pouting.

"Martha, where are you?!" Jack asked.

I guess Project Indigo was more clever than we thought. One second I was in Manhattan... Next second...Maybe Indigo tapped into my mind. Cos I ended up in the one place that I wanted to be"

"You came home... At the end of the world, you came back to me." Another woman said wrapping an arm round Martha.

"But then all of a sudden, it's like the laptop turned itself on." Martha said.

"It did. That was me." She flashes her ID "Harriet Jones, former Prime Minister."

"Yes, I know who you are." Martha said rolling her eyes.

"Rude!" the Doctor admonished. "She's in the presence of one of the greatest women in this history of the planet and she's rude to her, I would never...actually forget that"

"I thought it was about time we all met. Given the current crisis. Torchwood, this is Sarah Jane Smith." Harriet said.

"I've been following your work. Nice job with the Slitheen." Jack said complementing Sarah Jane causing the Doctor to groan.

"Yeah, well I've been staying away from you lot. Too many guns!" Sarah Jane said darkly causing the Doctor to cheer.

"All the same, might I say, looking good, ma'am." Jack said winking.

"Really? Oh." Sarah Jane said blushing.

"Stop it Harkness, she's off limits" the Doctor snapped.

"Not now, Captain. And Martha Jones, former companion to Rose." Harriet said rolling her eyes.

"Oi! I've been saving the universe for centuries where's my introduction?" the Doctor shouted.

"But how did you find me?" Martha asked.

"This, ladies and gentlemen, this is the Subwave Network. A sentient piece of software, programmed to seek out anyone and everyone who can help to contact Rose" Harriet explained.

"What if the Daleks can hear us?" Sarah Jane asked.

"No, that's the beauty of the Subwave, it's undetectable." Harriet said smugly.

"A-and you invented it?" Sarah Jane asked looking impressed.

"I developed it. It was created by the Mr Copper Foundation." Harriet said flatly.

"Yeah, but what we need right now is a weapon. Martha, back there at UNIT, what - what did they give you, what was that key thing?" Jack said.

"The Osterhagen Key." Martha said.

"That key is not to be used, Dr Jones. Not under any circumstances!" Harriet shouted.

"But what is an Osterhagen Key?" Jack asked.

"Forget about the key and that's an order! All we need is Rose Tyler, we could use the Doctor as well but the prat had to let himself be dragged into another universe"

"OI!"

"Oh excuse me, Harriet, but, well the thing is, if you're looking for Rose... didn't she help depose you?" Sarah Jane asked curiously.

"No the Doctor did it by himself. And I've wondered about that for a long time. Whether I was wrong, but I stand by my actions, to this day. Because I knew, I knew that one day, the Earth would be in danger, and the Doctor would fail to appear. I told him so myself. And he didn't listen." Harriet said looking angry and concerned at the same time.

"But I am here" the Doctor said getting annoyed.

"But I've been trying to find Rose. Rose has a phone on the TARDIS, but I can't get through." Martha said changing the subject.

"Nor me, and I was here first!" the Doctor said bitterly.

"That's why we need the Subwave. To bring us all together, combine forces. Rose Tyler's secret army." Harriet said.

"Wait a minute... we boost the signal! That's it! We transmit that telephone number through Torchwood itself, using all the power of the Rift..." Jack said wonderingly.

"And we've got Mr Smith! He can link up with every telephone exchange on the Earth. He can get the whole world to call the same number, all at the same time! Billions of phones, calling out, all at once!" the small boy said.

"Haha, brilliant! Who's the kid?" Jack asked.

"That's my son!" Sarah Jane said proudly.

"WHAT!" the Doctor shouted. "You little liar Sarah Jane, you told me that you didn't have kids!"

A welsh man in a suit stepped in front of Jack "Excuse me, sorry, sorry, hello, Ianto Jones. Um, if we start transmitting, then this Subwave Network is going to become visible. I mean, to the Daleks."

"Yes, and they'll trace it back to me. But my life doesn't matter. Not if it saves the Earth." Harriet said looking determined.

"Oh Harriet" the Doctor whispered.

"Ma'am." Jack saluted her.

"Thank you, Captain. But there are people out there dying, on the streets." Harriet said blushing slightly.

"Marvellous woman. I voted for her." Wilf said proudly.

"You did not." Sylvia snapped.

"Now enough of words. Let's begin!" Harriet shouted. Everyone began to work frantically their voice overlapping one another.

"Rift power activated!"

"All terminals coordinated!"

"National grid online... giving you everything we've got!"

"Connecting you to Mr Smith!"

"All telephone networks combined!"

"Sending you the number... now!"

"Opening Subwave Network to maximum."

"Mr Smith... make that call!"

"Calling Rose Tyler" an electronic voice said.

"So am I!" the Doctor muttered pulling out the mobile Jackie and Pete practically threw at him when he had first began to settle down in that world.

"Aaand sending!" Jack shouted happily.

DWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDW

Suddenly Rose's phone began to ring in her pocket. She pulled it out and answered it. "Martha? Jack? Sarah Jane?" she shouted down but no answer. however... "There's a signal" she murmured.

"Can we follow it?" Donna asked.

"Oh you just watch me!" Rose shouted moving round the console. "Got it, locking onto it" the TARDIS began to shake violently again. The TARDIS lights turned red and a fire started. "We're travelling through time, roughly one second. The signal is pulling us through!" Rose shouted. "One...two...three"

Suddenly the TARDIS stopped shaking and one the screen appeared all 27 planets.

"27 planets - and there's the Earth! Why couldn't we see them?!" Donna asked.

"The entire Medusa Cascade has been put a second out of sync with the rest of the universe. Perfect hiding place, tiny little pocket of time. But we found them! Oh, oh, what's that? Hold on, hold on, some sort of Subwave Network..." Rose babbled playing with the monitor when suddenly Jack, Sarah Jane and Martha appeared on the screen.

"Where the hell have you been Rose Marion Tyler?" Jack shouted. "it's the daleks!"

"She's nice" Gwen commented. "Though I thought she would be older"

"She's a bloody kid!" Ianto exclaimed.

"It's the daleks" Sarah Jane said "they're taking the people..."

"...And it's not just dalek Caan" Martha finished.

"I did not get that at all" Rose said shaking her head.

"That's Donna!" Sylvia shouted looking over the Doctor's shoulder.

"That's my girl!" Wilf said puffing his chest out in pride.

"Sarah Jane and Luke! That must be Torchwood. Aren't they brilliant? Look at you all, you clever people!" Rose said grinning.

"That's Martha. And who's..." Donna said pointing at Jack "he?"

"Captain Jack Harkness, a brother to me, so don't. Just... don't." Rose said shaking her head.

"Rose, it's me, I came back." The Doctor said waving wildly at the screen.

"It's like an outer space Facebook." Donna commented.

"Everyone except them..." Rose whispered thinking of her Mum, Mickey and the Doctor.

"Oh Rose" the Doctor whispered reaching out to touch her image, when suddenly the screen turned white and fuzzy. "NO!"

"Ah..." Rose said blinking.

"We've lost them!" Donna shouted.

"No, no, no, no, there's another signal coming through, there's someone else out there." Rose said banging on the monitor "Hello? Can you hear me?"___she called. "Doctor? Mickey? Mum?"_

_"__So young, so innocent and yet it is the Abomination" a croaky voice came across the sound speaker. _

"No. But he's dead..." Sarah Jane whispered looking horrified.

"Damn it Davros" the Doctor hissed as the man's (if he could be called that) image appeared on the screen.

"I welcome you to my new Empire Ms Tyler" Davros said. "It is only fitting that you should bear witness to the resurrection, and the triumph, of Davros. Lord and creator of the Dalek Race!"

"The True God" Rose whispered remembering so much knowledge from a time she faced a dalek Emperor. "I thought you were dead, the TARDIS thought you were dead"

"Dalek Caan rescued me." Davros said smirking.

"I flew into the wild and fire; I danced and died a thousand times." Dalek Caan said in a sing song voice.

"Emergency Temporal Shift took him back into the Time War itself." Davros explained more clearly.

"But that's impossible! The entire War is timelocked!" Rose cried out remembering what the TARDIS had told her.

"And yet he succeeded. Oh, it cost him his mind. But imagine a single, simple Dalek succeeded where Emperors and Time Lords have failed. A testament, don't you think, to my remarkable creations?" Davros said.

"And you made a new race of Daleks?" Rose growled.

"I gave myself to them. Quite literally. Each one grown from a cell of my own body." he showed his tunic where the skin was ripped off and you could see his ribs and heart. "New Daleks. True Daleks. I have my children, Ms Tyler. What do you have, now?"

"You think you have all the power don't you?" Rose said quietly. "You think you got me trembling in my sneakers. Well let me tell you Davros, I faced a dalek on my own when I was nineteen and ended up befriending it. I turned the Dalek Emperor, the False God and his fleet to dust. I tangoed with the Cult of Skaro not once but twice and lived the tale...I'm going to find you and I'm going to stop you. I will give you a reason to be scared off me. Now I have one last thing to tell you, just one..." Rose's hand went out to the lever. "BYE!" she pulled it down and the screens turned off.

DWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDW

Donna and Rose stepped out of the TARDIS to find themselves outside by a church in an abandoned street, cars were left scattered on the road with their doors hanging open.

"It's like a ghost town" Donna breathed.

Rose turned to face her. "Sarah Jane said they were taking people but why? What do they need? Donna what did the Doctor tell you? In that world of yours"

Donna shrugged. "Just that the darkness was coming and the stars were going out"

"Please Donna think harder. There must have been more than that!" Rose growled in frustration.

A small sly smile grew on Donna's face. "Well then, why don't you ask him yourself?"

Rose's breath caught in her throat as the meaning of Donna's words got to her. She let out a shaky breath as she turned round slowly to see him standing there in his brown suit and trench coat, his hands were shoved in his pockets, and he gave her a cheeky grin.

"Doctor?" Rose whispered slowly walking towards him, he was walking towards her and suddenly they both broke into a run.

Neither of them noticed the dalek until it was too late.

"EX-TERMINATE!"

A green laser beam shot out and hit Rose who tumbled to the ground.

"ROSE!" the Doctor shouted.

Jack suddenly appeared and shot the dalek, blowing it up. Donna was running to Rose's side.

The Doctor stood there frozen. Rose was dead. After all that time...she was dead.

Meanwhile up above in the dalek ship called the Crucible, Davros tapped his metal fingers against his shell, smirking. "Caan, read me that last line of the prophecy again"

"_The Valiant Child, so very far from home, will die in battle so very soon" _Caan said in his sing song voice.

**Authors note: if you kill me, I will not be able to update. **


	29. The Last Verse

**Previously:**

_A green laser beam shot out and hit Rose who tumbled to the ground._

"_ROSE!" the Doctor shouted. _

_Jack suddenly appeared and shot the dalek, blowing it up. Donna was running to Rose's side. _

_The Doctor stood there frozen. Rose was dead. After all that time...she was dead. _

_Meanwhile up above in the dalek ship called the Crucible, Davros tapped his metal fingers against his shell, smirking. "Caan, read me that last line of the prophecy again"_

"_**The Valiant Child, so very far from home, will die in battle so very soon**__" Caan said in his sing song voice. _

"Rose, come on wake up, please Rose" Donna whispered shaking Rose's shoulder. "Come on Blondie snap out of it!" she felt a hand on her shoulder and she looked up to see Jack staring down mournfully with a tear rolling down his cheek.

"Donna...no one can survive a dalek ray" he said his voice choked up.

"But she's-"

"No one can, not even the Doctor, isn't that right?" Jack asked turning to the Doctor who seemed to be frozen stiff.

"Yeah, yeah" the Doctor said quietly, he was now shaking slightly, Jack pitied the man, first he was taken away from Rose and the TARDIS and on what should have been a beautiful reunion was destroyed by a dalek.

"Come on, we got to get into the TARDIS" Jack said taking control. "We don't want anymore daleks coming around and killing us all" he bent down and scooped up Rose's body holding her tightly to his chest. It was killing him to do this, his own little sister who promised to be there forever.

"Well everyone but you Harkness" the Doctor muttered darkly under his breath causing Jack to flinch.

They made their way back to the TARDIS silently and Jack laid Rose onto the metal grating floor, her blonde hair looked like a halo in the lighting, her amber hazel eyes looked empty giving Jack the impression of a fragile cold china doll. He moved his hand and closed her eyes before leaning in and giving her a warm kiss on her cold lips.

"Goodbye Rose. Rest in Peace" he whispered against her lips before pulling away. Now she looked like a sleeping angel to him. A true sleeping beauty he laughed silently to himself. As he got up the TARDIS shook slightly and the lights went out.

"They've got us! Power's gone! Some kind of chronon loop..." the Doctor babbled running a hand in through his hair looking frustrated and furious.

DWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDW

"Transferring TARDIS to the Crucible." A dalek grated.

"Those teleport things, can we use them? If they've taken the Rose and the Doctor to the Dalek spaceship, that's where we need to be." Sarah Jane whispered from behind the van as she watched the TARDIS slowly hover up the sky, wobbling slightly.

"It's not just a teleport, it's a Dimension Jump. Mind, this thing rips a hole in the fabric of space." Mickey muttered. "Not the best invention the Doctor created since it kept blowing up"

"I think that was just the Doctor" Sarah Jane muttered darkly under her breath. "But can we use it?" she asked louder.

"Not yet, it burns up energy, needs half an hour between jumps." Mickey said shaking his head.

"Then put down your guns." Sarah Jane ordered standing up straight.

"Do what?" Mickey yelped looking shocked.

"If you're carrying a gun, they'll shoot you dead." Sarah Jane said slowly while thinking privately to herself no matter how much a hero Mickey has become he's still an idiot. She then stepped out from the van and held her hands out as she walked to the daleks. "Daleks! I surrender!"

"All humans in this sector will be taken to the Crucible!" the dalek said.

"She's bloody mad!" Mickey cried out.

"Yeah, but Mickey, if they've got the Doctor, then they've got Rose. I need to see my daughter, god knows what's happened to her in the past four years" Jackie said putting her gun and stepping forwards. "And us! We surrender"

Mickey kissed his gun before joining the two women that are clearly insane in his books.

DWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDW

"There's a massive Dalek ship at the centre of the planets. They're calling it the Crucible. Guess that's our destination." Jack said sighing, trying his hardest not to look at Rose's body.

"Rose said these planets were like an engine, but what for?" Donna said quietly while still wiping tears that fell fast on her cheek.

"Did she?" the Doctor croaked. "Clever girl, our Rose."

"Rose said time works differently in your world" Donna said "what happens?"

"Just the darkness" the Doctor said shrugging.

"The stars were going out." Donna said remembering.

"One by one. We looked up at the sky and they were just dying. Basically, we've been building this – well when I say we, I mean me since I'm obviously incredibly smarter than the Torchwood scientists- but yeah anyway this dimension cannon we called it. Built it so I could...well I could..." the Doctor trailed off blushing ever so slightly.

"Come back and sweep our Rosie off of her feet?" Jack suggested while waggling his eyebrows. Though there was no humour or flirtation in his voice since he was trying his hardest not to cry.

"Shut up." The Doctor snapped. "Anyway, suddenly, it started to work and the dimensions started to collapse. Not just in our world, not just in yours, but the whole of reality. Even the Void was dead. Something is destroying everything."

"In that parallel world... you said something about me." Donna said slowly looking scared.

"The Dimension Cannon could measure timelines, and it's... its weird, Donna, but they all seemed to converge on you." The Doctor said nodding.

"But why me? I mean, what have I ever done? I'm a temp. From Chiswick!" Donna shouted.

There's a beep coming from the monitor and the Doctor leaned over to read ignoring Donna's denials. "The Dalek Crucible. All aboard!" he said in a fake cheery tone.

"The TARDIS is secured." A dalek called out

"Doctor, you will step forth or die." A louder, deeper dalek voice shouted.

"We'll have to go out. Cos if we don't, they'll get in." The Doctor said clapping his hands while looking grim.

"But Rose once told me nothing could get through those doors." Donna argued.

"You've got extrapolator shielding!" Jack protested.

"Last time we fought the Daleks, they were scavengers and hybrids and mad. But this is a fully-fledged Dalek Empire, at the height of its power. Experts at fighting TARDISes, they can do anything. Right now, that wooden door... is just wood." The Doctor said sadly.

Donna stood there frozen tuning out of the Doctor's and Jack's conversation as she heard something. _Thump, thump, thump, thump, thump, thump, thump. _It sounded like a weak heartbeat, fighting for its life.

"What about your Dimension Jump?" Jack asked.

"It needs another 20 minutes. What about your teleport?" the Doctor replied.

"Went down with the power loss." Jack muttered.

"Right, then, all of us together... Yeah." The Doctor said putting on a fake smile. He looked to the side to see Donna looking pale, her breathing getting more and more rapid. "Donna?" he called. She didn't reply and he walked closer, putting an arm round her. "Donna?"

_Thump, thump, thump, thump, thump, thump._

She flinched and looked up at the Doctor. "Yeah?" she whispered.

"I'm sorry. There's nothing else we can do." The Doctor said squeezing her shoulder as a comfort gesture.

"Look, I know." Donna said pulling away from him.

"Surrender, Doctor, and face your Dalek masters." The deeper dalek voice called out.

"Crucible on maximum alert." A dalek informed them.

"Daleks" the Doctor sighed.

"Oh god" Jack said laughing.

"It's been good though, hasn't it? All of us, all of it (well being stuck in the parallel world was a bit crap) everything we did though." The Doctor turned to Donna. "I bet you were brilliant" he said softly. Donna smiled and he turned to Jack. "And you were brilliant" Jack grinned and the Doctor took a deep breath. "Blimey"

He and Jack began to walk slowly down the ramp and out of the TARDIS to be met by an army of daleks and a large red one.

"Daleks reign supreme. All hail the Daleks!" the red one shouted.

"Daleks reign supreme. All hail the Daleks! Daleks reign supreme. All hail the Daleks!" the daleks chanted.

Donna was walking down the ramp when she stopped. _Thump, thump, thump, thump. _She could hear the heartbeat again. _Thump, thump, thump._

"Daleks reign supreme. All hail the Daleks! Daleks reign supreme. All hail the Daleks!" the daleks carried on chanting.

"Behold, Doctor! Behold the might of the true Dalek race!" the red one shouted.

The Doctor turned round to see Donna still in the TARDIS looking round. "Donna, you're no safer in there." He called out. She took another deep breath and began to walk towards the doors when the doors suddenly slammed shut. "What?" the Doctor shouted running to the TARDIS.

"Doctor? What have you done?" Donna shouted banging on the door.

"It wasn't me, I didn't do anything!" the Doctor protested/

"Oi! Oi, I'm not staying behind!" Donna shrieked.

"What did you do?!" the Doctor shouted at the red dalek.

"This is not of Dalek origin." The red dalek said flatly.

"Doctor!" Donna screamed.

"Stop it! She's my friend, now open the door and let her out!" the Doctor shouted getting more and more angry.

"This is Time Lord Treachery." The red dalek spat.

"Me? The door just closed on its own!" the Doctor cried out.

"Nevertheless, the TARDIS is a weapon and it will be destroyed." The red dalek said before having a trapdoor open beneath the TARDIS, the TARDIS falls in immediately.

"What are you doing? Bring it back!" the Doctor screamed. "What've you done, where's it going?!"

"The Crucible has a heart of Z-Neutrino Energy. The TARDIS will be deposited into the core." The red dalek informed the Doctor.

"You can't, you've taken the defences down, it'll be torn apart!" the Doctor shouted horrified.

"But Donna's still in there!" Jack cried out. "Let her go!"

"The female and the TARDIS will perish together. Observe!" the red dalek said activating a holographic screen that showed the TARDIS bobbing in the energy field. "The last child of Galifrey is powerless."

"Please, I'm begging you, I'll do anything! Put me in her place, you can do anything to me" the Doctor begged.

"You are connected to the TARDIS. Now feel it die!" the red dalek said. "Total TARDIS destruction in ten rels, nine, eight, seven, six......five, four, three, two, one..." the TARDIS had vanished and the screen switched off. "The TARDIS has been destroyed. Now tell me, Doctor. What do you feel? Anger? Sorrow? Despair?"

"Yeah." The Doctor whispered. But the thing is he didn't feel her die, he hadn't felt her at all. His connection with the TARDIS died the moment Pete Tyler brought him to the other universe to save his life. And that was what made it so much worse.

"Then if emotions are so important, surely we have enhanced you?" the red dalek goaded.

"Yeah? Feel this!" Jack shouted shooting at the red dalek with his handgun but not able to even make a scratch on the casing.

"Ex-terminate!" the red dalek cried out shooting a death ray, killing Jack instantly. "Escort the Doctor to the Vault." The red dalek ordered. "He is the plaything of Davros now."

As the Doctor was led away he glanced back to Jack who winked at him.

DWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDW

Donna was choking and coughing, the TARDIS was burning and the smoke was getting to her. She was going to die, she was so very sure. She hoped the Doctor and Jack will be able to save Earth and tell her Granddad and her Mum. She hopes she'll have a nice funeral with lots of people turning up.

_Thump, thump, thump, thump, thump, thump._

She can still hear that blasted heartbeat, she crawled along the floor, coughing, wanting nothing but to curl up against Rose's body. If she was going to die, she was going to do it with her closest friend. She reached out and put both hands on Rose's chest to help manoeuvre her body up, when she froze.

_Thump, thump, thump, thump, thump, thump._

One of Rose's hearts was working. Rose has two hearts. That means Rose was still alive and if she can use CPR on Rose then Rose can save them all. She got up onto her knees and thumped Rose's heart firmly but gently, she bent down and breathed into Rose's mouth.

She repeated. Again and again and again.

Then suddenly she felt Rose gasp into her mouth and her sight was blinded by gold light. The last thing she heard before she succumbed to the darkness beckoning to her was the TARDIS engines beginning to work.

DWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDW

"Activate the holding cell." Davros ordered. Golden spotlight like cell switched on over the Doctor. Davros began to roll towards the Doctor "Excellent. Even when powerless, a Time Lord is best contained."

"Still scared of me, then?" the Doctor asked darkly reaching out and touching the holding cell, it rippled with a blue light.

_"_It is time we talked, Doctor. After so very long." Davros said.

"No, no, no, no, no, we're not doing the nostalgia tour, I wanna know what's happening, right here, right now, cos the Supreme Dalek said Vault, yeah?" ___the Doctor looked round "_As in dungeon? Cellar? Prison? You're not in charge of the Daleks, are you? They've got you locked away down here in the basement like, what, a servant? Slave? Court jester?"

"We have... an arrangement." Davros said avoiding the Doctor's eye.

The Doctor let out a mocking laugh "No, no, no, no, I've got the word. You're the Dalek's pet!"

"You have become more irritating in your old age Doctor" Davros snarled.

"Then why am I still alive?" the Doctor said looking vaguely amused.

"You must be here. It was foretold. Even the Supreme Dalek would not dare to contradict the prophecies of Dalek Caan." Davros said turning a spotlight over Dalek Caan

"So cold and dark, fire is coming, the endless flames..." Dalek Caan said in a sing song voice. "This I have foreseen, in the wild, and the wind. The Doctor will be here, as witness. At the end of everything. The Doctor and his precious Children of Time." He giggled "And one of them will die!"

"Was it you, Caan? Did you kill Donna? Why did the TARDIS door close, tell me!" the Doctor raged.

"Oh, that's it! The anger. The fire. The rage of a Time Lord who butchered millions. There he is! Why so shy?" Davros jeered. "Show your true self. Dalek Caan has promised me that, too."

"I have seen. At the time of ending, the Doctor's soul will be revealed." Dalek Caan sang.

"What does that mean?" the Doctor asked frowning.

"We will discover it together. Our final journey. Because the ending approaches, the testing begins." Davros said.

"Testing of what?"

"The Reality Bomb." Davros said calmly. "Behold the apotheosis of my genius!" he flicks a switch and another holographic screen pops up showing what looked like a testing area.

"...two, one, zero. Activate planetary alignment field!" the Supreme Dalek shouted.

The Doctor watched in horror as the 27 planets glew a white glow. "That's Z-Neutrino energy... flattened by the alignment of the planets into a single string." He turned to Davros horrified. "No! Davros! Davros, you can't! You can't! NO!"

"Electrical energy, Doctor. Every atom in existence is bound by an electrical field. The Reality Bomb cancels it out. Structure falls apart. That test was focused on the prisoners alone. Full transmission will dissolve every form of matter." Davros said smiling.

"Stars are going out...The 27 planets. They become one vast transmitter. Blasting that wavelength..." the Doctor whispered.

"Across the entire universe. Never stopping, never faltering, never fading. People and planets and stars will become dust, and the dust will become atoms, and the atoms will become... nothing. And the wavelength will continue, breaking through the Rift at the heart of the Medusa Cascade into every dimension, every parallel, every single corner of creation! This is my ultimate victory, Doctor! The destruction of reality itself!" Davros ranted.

"Incoming transmission! Origin Planet Earth." A dalek called cutting through the silence.

"Display!" the Supreme Dalek ordered. A holographic screen popped up with Martha sitting there looking confident.

"This is Martha Jones, representing the Unified Intelligence Taskforce, on behalf of the human race." She said calmly.

"Send transmission to the Vault. Continue to monitor." The Supreme Dalek ordered. A screen appeared in the Vault.

"This message is for the Dalek Crucible, repeat, can you hear me?" Martha called out.

"Put me through." The Doctor pleaded.

"It begins. As Dalek Caan foretold." Davros said smugly.

"The Children of Time will gather. And one of them will die!" Dalek Caan giggled.

"Stop saying that! Put me through!" the Doctor shouted.

"Rose! I'm sorry. I had to." Martha cried out then she noticed that Rose wasn't there but the Doctor was. "Who are you?"

"Oh, but the Doctor is powerless. My prisoner. State your intent." Davros interrupted before the Doctor could speak.

"My God she found you" Martha breathed remembering the Doctor from Rose's storied. She turned to Davros and held up a flat black stone like object in her hand. "I've got the Osterhagen Key. Leave this planet and its people alone. Or I'll use it."

"Osterhagen what? What's an Osterhagen Key?!" the Doctor asked.

"There's a chain of 25 nuclear warheads, placed in strategic points beneath the Earth's crust. If I use the key, they detonate and the Earth gets ripped apart." Martha explained calmly.

"What?! Who invented that?! Well, someone called Osterhagen, I suppose. Martha, are you insane!?" the Doctor shouted, shocked that Rose had picked up such a violent and rude girl.

"The Osterhagen Key is to be used, if the suffering of the human race is so great, so without hope... that this becomes the final option." Martha said sighing.

"That's never an option!" the Doctor protested.

"Don't argue with me, Doctor! Cos it's more than that. Now, I reckon the Daleks need these 27 planets for something, but what if it becomes 26? What happens then? Daleks? Would you risk it?" Martha argued.

**"****You're good" the Doctor said admiringly. The girl was intelligent if she worked all that out. No wonder Rose picked her. "But destruction is not an option Martha Jones"**

"Second transmission, internal!" a dalek called out.

"Display!" the Supreme Dalek ordered. Another screen appeared with Jack, Sarah Jane, Mickey and Jackie.

"Captain Jack Harkness, calling all Dalek boys and girls! Are you receiving me? Don't send in your goons, or I'll set this thing off!" Jack said holding up a silver chain with a charm wired to the ship.

**"**Captain, what are you doing?" the Doctor asked.

"I've got a Warp Star wired into the mainframe. I break this shell, the entire Crucible goes up." Jack said calmly.

"You can't! Where did you get a Warp Star?!" the Doctor cried out not believing what is happening.

"From me! We had no choice. We saw what happened to the prisoners." Sarah Jane said stepping forwards.

"Impossible. That face... after all these years." Davros breathed.

"Davros?" Sarah Jane snarled. "It's been quite a while. Sarah Jane Smith, remember?"

"Oh, this is meant to be! The Circle of Time is closing. You were there, on Skaro, at the very beginning of my creation." Davros said.

"And I've learnt how to fight since then! You let the Doctor go, or this Warp Star - it gets opened." Sarah Jane threatened.

"I'll do it! Don't imagine I wouldn't." Jack added. The Doctor looks at the ground, feeling guilty; they were going to die to stop the daleks. They were willing to sacrifice themselves and the Earth...for him.

"And the prophecy unfolds." Davros said smirking.

"The Doctor's soul is revealed. See him! See the heart of him!" Dalek Caan sang.

"The man who abhors violence. Never carrying a gun. But this is the truth, Doctor. You take ordinary people and you fashion THEM into weapons. Behold your Children of Time, transformed into murderers. I made the Daleks, Doctor. You made this." Davros said.

**"****I don't even know who Martha Jones is. She's just someone trying to help" the Doctor said unconvincingly. **

"But she was trained by Rose Tyler and if this is what Martha Jones is like, what have you turned Rose Tyler into? Already, I have seen them sacrifice today, for their beloved Rose who would do anything for you. The Earth woman, who fell opening the Subwave Network." Davros said smugly.

"Harriet Jones" the Doctor whispered.

"How many more? Just think! How many have died in your name?" Davros jeered. The Doctor remembered, oh so many faces that have sacrificed themselves for him: Jabe, the Controller, Lynda, Sir Robert, Mrs Moore, Mr Skinner, Ursula, Bridget, Jake, Rose, Donna and even Jack. "The Doctor. The man who keeps running, never looking back. Because he dare not, out of shame. This is my final victory, Doctor. I have shown you... yourself."

The Doctor stood there silently

"Enough! Engage defence zero-five." The Supreme Dalek bellowed.

"It's the Crucible or the Earth." Martha said menacingly holding up the Osterhagen key.

"Transmat engaged." A dalek called. The Osterhagen key and the Warp Star fall to the ground as a transmat snatches up everyone and sends them to the Vault.

"Martha! I've got you, it's all right..." Jack said picking Martha up off the ground.

"Don't move, all of you, stay still!" the Doctor ordered.

"Guard them! On your knees, all of you. Surrender!" Davros barked out.

"Do as he says." The Doctor said he lowered his voice to Jackie. "Jackie Tyler, I told you not to! What about Tony?"

Yeah, but I couldn't not see Rose. She's my daughter as much as Tony is my son" Jackie hissed.

"The final prophecy is in place. The Doctor and his children, all gathered as witnesses. Supreme Dalek, the time has come! Now... detonate the Reality Bomb!" Davros cackled.

"Activate planetary alignment field!" the Supreme Dalek ordered. "Universal Reality Detonation in 200 rels."

"You can't, Davros, just listen to me! Just stop!" the Doctor begged.

"Nothing can stop the detonation, nothing and no-one!" Davros said laughing insanely.

"Oh I don't know about that" Jackie said cockily. "My daughter is still out there. She'll stop you"

"Ms Tyler is dead" Davros spat out. "Her body burned with the TARDIS and Ms Noble"

"No!" Jackie cried out. "Not my little girl. Oh this is all your fault" she snarled at the Doctor.

"Rose" Martha whispered leaning against Jack in shock. "She can't be"

"She is" Jack said quietly. "I was there"

"Oh Rose" Sarah Jane whispered. Mickey stood there frozen unsure how to feel or what to say or do.

"It was the last line of the prophecy" Davros said smirking. "The Valiant Child so very far from home will die in battle so very soon. I believe you heard it before Doctor. It was always going to happen and now we shall win!"

"No quite right" Dalek Caan giggled. "There is more to the prophecy. I lied, I lied, there is one last verse!"

"What verse? What do you mean?" Davros demanded.

"One last verse to the prophecy. It is not over yet!" Dalek Caan giggled. "Little Red Riding Hood trapped in the last TARDIS, burning, burning to death. But a Phoenix rises from the ashes and everything must turn to dust" Dalek Caan.

"No" Davros whispered in realisation. "It can't be"

"It cannot, it cannot, it cannot" the daleks chanted acting...terrified.

"Doctor, they're scared" Sarah Jane whispered. "But daleks are never scared"

"Apart from one time" Mickey whispered. "One time..."

"And another" Martha whispered her eyes widening in realisation. "They were terrified...which means..."

The sound of the TARDIS engines could be heard and everyone turned slowly to see the blue box materialise.

"Doctor! She's alive!" Jack shouted joyfully.

The doors opened and golden light spilled out, everyone took a step back, hands over their eyes to protect them.

Rose Tyler took a step out. Her eyes were shut blissfully and her golden blonde hair was streaked with red, her skin glowed with a golden tinge.

"Rose!" Martha cried out.

Rose's eyes shot open and they were no longer the amber hazel everyone knew...they were golden, pure gold light.

"I am the Bad Wolf" she said serenely.

"You are an Abomination!" Davros shouted. "Exterminate her!"

"EX-TERMINATE!"

She held her hand out and a gold light stopped the dalek ray.

"I am the sun and the moon. I am the day and night. I am time itself and I burn in the Medusa Cascade" Rose said her eyes growing brighter.

"Everything must turn to dust!" Davros said. "You said it yourself, that is what I am doing. I am doing your work." He was pleading for his life. It was so obvious to the Doctor and the Doctor knew it wasn't going to work.

"Everything turns to dust" Rose repeated. "Everything dies. Everything has its time...but not today" Rose added. It was obvious though that she meant everything but the Daleks will live another day.

"Rose" Jack said stepping forwards. "Rose please...change me back. Change me back to mortal"

"I cannot!"

"But you said so yourself, everyone dies. Please" Jack said pleadingly.

"And you will do." Rose said quietly. "You are the Face of Boe. You are the greatest being out there and you will save billions upon billions of civilizations before you die your final death...but I give you a gift." She waved her hand slowly. "I bring life"

Somewhere on Earth a woman woke up with a gasp and a man staggered to the floor clutching his chest in shock.

"I send the planets back" Rose said slowly waving her hand. "Callufrax Minorr, Jahoo, Shallacatop, Woman Wept, Clom, Pryovile, the Lost Moon of Poosh, Adipose Three and so many more."

"Rose!" the Doctor shouted. "You got to let this power go. It's going to kill you, remember what happened the last time? You almost burned to death"

"I will not" Rose said. "I'll do anything to protect my Children of Time" the gold glow faded from her eyes and for a moment everyone saw Rose, her love for them before the gold glow returned.

"This is wrong!" Davros snarled. "You should be dead. You and the Noble child"

"The DonnaRose, the DonnaRose. I bonded them together so this moment can happen" Dalek Caan giggled. "Donna Noble kissed life to Rose and the Bad Wolf woke. We shall all die!"

"You betrayed the Daleks. You're own kind!" Davros shouted.

"I saw the Daleks. I saw what we were and knew that Rose Tyler was right. I serve only the goddess Bad Wolf. Everything turns to dust" Dalek Caan shouted, lucid for one small moment.

"I see your atoms and I divide them" Rose growled, squeezing her fist as every dalek turned to dust. "I burn...I burn in the Medusa Cascade. I can see everything. All that is, all that was, all that ever could be"

"Rose please let it go!" the Doctor pleaded.

"I am so tired" Rose whispered. "I am so...very tired"

Her eyes fluttered shut and the golden glow faded as she fell backwards, Jack reached out to catch her only to be beaten by Donna who looked confused and furious. Her red hair streaked with blonde.

"Will any of you tell me what the bloody hell happened?" she shouted holding a sleeping Rose up.


	30. Epilogue: Better with Three

**Previously:**

"_I see your atoms and I divide them" Rose growled, squeezing her fist as every dalek turned to dust. "I burn...I burn in the Medusa Cascade. I can see everything. All that is, all that was, all that ever could be"_

"_Rose please let it go!" the Doctor pleaded. _

"_I am so tired" Rose whispered. "I am so...very tired"_

_Her eyes fluttered shut and the golden glow faded as she fell backwards, Jack reached out to catch her only to be beaten by Donna who looked confused and furious. Her red hair streaked with blonde. _

"_Will any of you tell me what the bloody hell happened?" she shouted holding a sleeping Rose up. _

"Right then, into the TARDIS, off we go!" the Doctor said in a fake cheery voice as he herded everyone in, calling their name as they ran into the TARDIS. "Captain, Martha, Jackie, Mickey and you too Sarah Jane" he stepped in and closed the door behind him.

From the corner of his eye he could see Jack helping Donna with Rose who was still sleeping soundly, Jackie hovering them like the annoying mother she is. On his other side Martha, Mickey and Sarah Jane were having a hushed conversation while shooting the Doctor uneasy looks.

He went to the console and began to prepare the TARDIS to go when he noticed a few things. One was a rather minor and small thing but still it mattered to him; the sticky notes that he used to leave on the monitor were in English and Rose's handwriting, she left small reminders for herself like 'get the milk' and 'never return to Midnight EVER' he shook his head and concentrated on the major problem, a planet was still in the Medusa Cascade.

"Hold on guys, Rose forgot a planet here – oh what a surprise it's Earth" the Doctor said rolling his eyes. "Come then, off we go!"

"But what about Earth?" Sarah Jane demanded, glaring at him for forgetting the planet. "It's stuck in the wrong part of space!"

"I'm on it!" the Doctor shouted mucking about with the console. "Torchwood, can you hear me?"

"DON'T LIE TO ME IANTO JONES!"

Everyone jumped at the shout, Jack looked up in disbelieve.

"I KNOW IT WAS YOU, NO ONE ELSE WOULD LEAVE COFFEE STAINS ON MY COMPUTER!"

"It could have been Gwen" Ianto said weakly.

"Pur-lease, Gwen would never dream of drinking coffee near my computer" the female said, everyone could almost hear her eyes rolling.

"Not after the last time" Gwen mumbled.

"It can't be" Jack whispered.

Another voice joined the Torchwood Hub.

"OI! HARKNESS! SHOW YOUR FACE! I WANT A WORD WITH YOU!"

"It can't be" Jack said shaking his head. "It can't be...is it?" he turned to look at Martha who had the same look of disbelieve on her face. He ran to the monitor and pushed the Doctor out of the way. "Toshiko? Owen? Is that you?"

"Jack?" Tosh said squinting at the computer screen. "What the hell have you done to my computer?"

"Nothing, it was all Ianto's fault" Jack said quickly, really hoping that Tosh won't find a certain folder of pictures he downloaded last week....

"All right Harkness, what the hell have you done? Wasn't the last time you attempted to bring me back to life ended in shit?" Owen said.

"It wasn't me!" Jack protested. "I honestly have no idea how come you two are alive"

"I think I do" Martha said stepping forwards to Jack's side.

"Oh terrific, it's Dr bloody Jones" Owen said sarcastically. "Come to steal my job again?"

"I never tried to steal your job!" Martha snapped forgetting how annoying Owen could be when he was in a mood.

"For god sake Jack I thought you would have learnt your lesson by now. Do you know how terrifying it was to wake up in a drawer, completely locked in, frozen?" Tosh said shuddering.

"Now don't go blaming Jack it was all my fault" a voice said from behind Jack. Everyone jumped and turned to see Rose was awake and standing behind Jack. "I brought you back for him after Martha told me our distraught he was after your deaths I knew it was the perfect gift for him"

"Hello, who's this?" Owen asked interestedly leaning in.

"Not available" Jack said stiffly glaring at Owen.

"Oh come of it you can talk!" Owen exclaimed.

"My little sister, hands off" Jack growled glaring at Owen. "Touch her and I don't bloody care how many times you died before, I'll kill you again"

Rose coughed loudly. "Torchwood, I want you to open up that Rift Manipulator. Send all the power to me." She said in a professional voice.

"Why what for?" Tosh asked suspiciously.

"I need a tow rope so we can drag Earth back into place" Rose explained calmly.

"All right then" Tosh said happily typing furiously. "Doing it now"

"Sarah, what was your son's name?" the Doctor interrupted.

"Luke, he's called Luke. And the computers called Mr Smith." Sarah Jane said quickly.

"Calling Luke and Mr Smith! This is the Doctor. Come on Luke, shake your leg!" the Doctor called out.

___Luke ran to the computer "_Is Mum there?" he panted.

"Oh, she's fine and dandy..." the Doctor said waving a hand.

"Yes! Yes!" Sarah Jane cried out laughing in relief.

"Now Mr Smith, I want you to harness the rift power and loop it around the TARDIS, you got that?" Rose said elbowing the Doctor out of the way causing him to pout.

"I regret I will need remote access to TARDIS base code numerals." Mr Smith replied.

"Oh, blimey, that's gonna take a while." Rose muttered.

"No, no, no, let me!" Sarah Jane said pushing Rose lightly out of the way. "K-9! Out you come!" K-9 suddenly appeared beside Luke.

"Affirmative, Mistress!" K-9 said.

"Hello K-9, it's been ages since I seen you" Rose called out waving to the robotic dog.

"Hello Mistress Rose, good to see you better" K-9 said.

"Oh, good dog! K-9, give Mr Smith the base code!" the Doctor butted in.

"Master! TARDIS base code now being transferred. The process is simple!" K-9 chirped.

"Brilliant!" the Doctor said clapping his hands. "Now have you lot ever wondered why the TARDIS always rattles around? It's because they need six people piloting them and look what we have- more than enough!"

"Right then!" Rose said skipping round the console. "Sarah Jane hold that down just like that. Mickey you hold that, yes fantastic. Donna that there. Martha keep this level-"

The Doctor coughed loudly and Rose paused to look at him. "My TARDIS, I'm in command" the Doctor said glaring at Rose.

"_My _TARDIS. As been since you got trapped, so my rules and my commands" Rose snarled.

"She's mine! I've had her for centuries!"

"And you then left her to me! I've been doing a rather good job too" Rose said crossing her arms.

"Well I'm back now" the Doctor shouted.

"Yeah and you think I'm going to move to the backseat? Fat chance mate you have better luck with convincing Jack to go celibate" Rose sneered.

"She's mine!"

"Nuhuh I'm connected to her now not you!"

"But I was here first!"

"Time to move aside for someone younger, better and prettier"

"Why you little evil human!"

"You big egomaniac Time Lord. And by the way it's Time Lady not human!"

"WHAT?!"

"WILL YOU TWO STOP ARGUING?" Donna shouted both the Doctor and Rose turned round to see Donna glaring at them with her hands on her hips while Jack, Martha, Mickey, Jackie and Sarah Jane stood to one side looking embarrassed. "Jesus bloody Christ you two are like an outer space married couple"

Both the Doctor and Rose blushed furiously.

"Now listen to me! The TARDIS is _ours. _Not Space-Boys not Blondie's but Donna, Rose and the Doctor's, got that?"

"How the hell do you factor in this?" the Doctor asked raising an eyebrow.

"Well I assume the moment you wake up with not only blonde streaks in your hair but a second heart you get an ownership of the TARDIS" Donna said calmly.

"WHAT?!"

"Now we can hold this argument later we have an Earth to drag back home" Donna said. "Everyone get back to work" everyone moved quickly to help pilot the TARDIS, terrified of what will happen if they don't.

DWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDW

The Doctor, Rose, Donna and for some strange reason Jack were sitting in the library to talk privately about what exactly happened to Rose's and Donna's physiology while Jackie, Martha, Mickey and Sarah Jane waited in the console room not wanting to get involved in any fight that might break out any minute.

"Right from what me and the TARDIS can work out when I went all Bad Wolf the first time the traces of the time vortex stuck to my DNA and mutated to the DNA _someone _left when they thought they should kiss the time vortex out of me" Rose said shooting the Doctor a look who looked away blushing.

Jack sniggered. "I think you need a doctor? That is the crappiest chat up line ever Doc" he then waggled his eyebrows. "If I said I needed a doctor would you snog me?"

The Doctor shuffled quickly to the other side of the sofa away from Jack. "Not in any lifetime Jack" he muttered.

"Homophobe" Jack grumbled under his breath.

"Anyway before our goodbye on Bad Wolf Bay" Rose said loudly as if Jack and the Doctor never spoke. "I was in a bad state, five and a half weeks of no eating, drinking and sleeping. Pretty much killed me, I regenerated but looked the same...sort of just healed myself and siphoned of the rest into the TARDIS."

"Which a few months later I suddenly appear via Huon particles" Donna continued "and took in the rest of the energy. When Rose was shot by the dalek and I was trapped in here with her I gave her CPR"

"Giving me a little of her and taking a bigger share of me to retain the energy she absorbed from before. Thus mutating herself." Rose continued. "I regenerated and so did she taking one of my regenerations. Then the ten I have left over split into half and joined Donna"

"So now you can't claim you're the last of the Time Lords" Jack laughed.

"I am still the last. I just have two Time Ladies you will rip me to shreds" the Doctor groaned.

"Well good thing you have me around" Jack said patting the Doctor on the back. "speaking of which Donna I have to welcome to the Immortal Club" Jack moved so fast that Rose was beginning to wonder if she gave him super speed as well as immortality as he scooped Donna up into a long kiss.

This caused Donna to immediately slap him. "What gives you the right to go round kissing people?" she snarled before storming off. "Bloody Harkness" she muttered hoping no one will notice the pink tinge on her cheeks or the fact that she enjoyed the kiss.

DWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDW

The TARDIS had landed in a park not far from Sarah Jane's house; in fact Rose remembers playing football with Luke in this very park during some hard moments in her life. She smiled happily in the sun as Sarah Jane hugged the Doctor tightly.

"You take care of her" she whispered in his ear. "Rose had some hard times when you were gone"

"I'll look after her" the Doctor promised letting her go.

Sarah Jane swept Rose into a hug. "Something tells me I won't be seeing you for a very long time" she said. "You don't need me now, you have the Doctor"

"I'm always going to need you and Luke" Rose said sincerely. "Besides that sofa of yours is comfy to sleep on"

Sarah Jane laughed. "I got to go, Luke's only 14. Thank you" she called as she ran down the path.

"So how did Sarah Jane end up with a son?" the Doctor asked.

"It's a long story" Rose said. "Come on we better get Martha and Jack home before Donna kills Jack a fair few times"

"Let Donna kill Jack, he'll only come back" the Doctor said dismissively taking Rose's hand into his. "Run"

The pair ran for a long time just laughing as they went, for now they had no problems to worry about.

DWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDW

They were parked in a different park Jack, Rose, Martha and the Doctor were standing in front of the TARDIS; the Doctor was sonicking Jack's vortex manipulator.

"You shouldn't have been allowed this. God knows what mistakes you made" he grumbled.

"Charming" Jack said sarcastically.

"Martha promise me you get rid of that Osterhagen thing" the Doctor said letting go of Jack's wrist. "Save the world one more time"

"Only if you promise to look after my maid of honour" Martha shot back. "I'll ring you for the dress fittings, Hen Night and actual Wedding" she said to Rose.

"Fantastic!" Rose hugged both Jack and Martha tightly. "Goodbye you two, keep in touch, don't cause the end of the world and I promise to visit you"

"Christmas dinner?" Jack offered.

"Your cooking? No thanks" Rose said screwing her nose up.

"Ianto could cook" Jack offered.

"Maybe, I'll try" Rose said smiling.

Jack and Martha saluted the Doctor who saluted back. Both Rose and the Doctor grinned as they watched Jack and Martha leave hand in hand.

"You know, I'm not sure about UNIT these days. Maybe there's something else you could be doing" Jack commented.

"And have Owen plot to assassinate me? No thanks" Martha said shuddering.

Mickey leaped out of the TARDIS and began to jog away.

"Oi, where are you going?" the Doctor called after him, Mickey turned and smiled sadly at him.

"Well I'm not stupid; I can work out what happens next. And hey, I had a good time in that parallel world," Mickey said shrugging. "But as you know my Gran passed away. Nice and peaceful. She spent her last years living in a mansion." He added for Rose's benefit. "There's nothing there for me now, certainly not you Rose. I gave up on that one years ago"

"Oh come here you big idiot" Rose said hugging Mickey tightly. "I have missed you, you know" she whispered. "You were my best mate."

"Mine too Rose. Mine too" Mickey said patting Rose on the back before pulling away.

"What will you do?" the Doctor asked.

"Anything! Brand new life! Just you watch." Mickey said holding his fist up which the Doctor knocked with his own.

_"_See you, boss." Mickey said before running after Jack and Mickey."Hey, you two!" he shouted.

"Oh. Thought I'd got rid of you" Jack said in mock annoyance while waiting for Mickey to catch up. Mickey, Martha and Jack smirked when they saw the Doctor slide an arm round Rose's waist as the pair walked back into the TARDIS. "Bet you they'll shag tonight" Jack muttered.

"I'm smart enough to know not to take that bet" Martha said shaking her head.

DWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDW

The TARDIS landed just outside of the Tyler Mansion. Jackie was babbling ecstatically to her daughter.

"A little boy Rose. The most adorable boy ever. Tony Tyler we called him. He's only three and he's a little mischief maker just like you and himself over there" Jackie said. "Come and meet him. Have dinner with us"

"We can't" Rose said quietly. "The walls of the worlds are closing up now the Reality Bomb never happened. It's a dimensional retro closure"

"Oh Rose..." Jackie sighed.

"You were right Mum" Rose said. "when we were in the TARDIS before Canary Wharf you said in sixty years in some strange alien market there would be a woman who was Rose Tyler but wasn't not anymore...I'm not Rose Tyler anymore. I have done so many things..."

"You'll always be my daughter" Jackie said fiercely.

"I'm no longer the child you knew" Rose said. "She died in a battle of survival. I was so alone Mum, I was so jealous of Martha who had her whole family. I was depressed for months. I fell in love a couple times...well to be fair one time was with a clone of the Doctor – long story, don't ask – and I had my heartbroken. I was a mother"

Jackie gasped.

"A boy, called John. A generated anomaly but he was still my son...he died for me." Rose swallowed trying her hardest not to cry. There was a grinding noise from the TARDIS. "I got to go. This reality is sealing itself off...forever"

Rose and Jackie embraced tightly.

"My little girl. So grown up" Jackie whispered before Rose pulled away and ran back into the TARDIS. Tears fell fast down Jackie's face as she watched her daughter leave her forever.

DWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDW

Rose closed the doors to the TARDIS quietly, watching sadly as the Doctor and Donna began to pilot the TARDIS, once the TARDIS was in the vortex both of them turned to face her, she smiled at them softly as she walked up the ram, unzipping her leather jacket and flinging it over a rail.

"You know I figured it all out" Rose said pulling out a bobble and scooping up all the blonde hair into a ponytail leaving the red loose. "This life is better with three. Me, you and Professor River Song over there"

"Oh no! You are not calling me that" Donna said crossing her arms. "Do I look like her yet? No I do not, I can't believe sometime in my future I'll change into a diary obsessed archaeologist"

"Cheer up you weren't that different" Rose said grinning. "One hell of a right hook I tell you that"

Donna huffed. "You're still not calling me that"

"Better with three?" the Doctor said "will I actually live that long to enjoy it the way you two argue"

"Oh you're the one to talk!" Donna exploded.

Yes, Rose thought happily. Definitely better with three.

**Authors note: thank you so much to everyone who had supported this fic from beginning to end. This had been the longest and hardest project of mine ever and your feedback was most comforting. There will be a sequel; sadly it won't be up for a very long time since it'll basically be the specials and series 5 with Rose and Donna. I may do the odd oneshot based on this fic but I might not. Just keep an eye out. **


	31. Author's Note

**Hello everyone**

**Quick Author's Note to make an announcement. The sequel to A Different World is up! However there are a couple other fics that you might want to know about:**

**A Different World: Still a Child**

**A Different World: I Never**

**A Different Blink**

**I may have more Different World fics coming out over the New Year, so as always keep an eye out, the sequel is Better With Three, the start is short and the updates will be long apart from each other I'm afraid but I hope you enjoy it as much as you enjoyed this one, Merry Christmas!**


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